Ahead Of Starlink On Satellite Internet Approvals: Bharti Enterprises' Sunil Mittal

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Wednesday said his company was considerably ahead of Elon Musk's Starlink in obtaining approvals for satellite communications services in India.

Speaking on the second day of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, Mittal said his company had secured certain approvals five years ago and was awaiting the remaining clearances.

He expressed hope that Bharti would receive the necessary permissions before Starlink, highlighting its earlier progress through the regulatory process.

Focus On Satellite Internet, Sovereign Cloud Infra

Mittal said Bharti Enterprises was expanding its focus on digital infrastructure, particularly data centres and sovereign cloud services.

The company is working to establish a sovereign data cloud capable of serving Indian businesses, government institutions and defence forces.

He emphasised the importance of developing domestic technological infrastructure to meet growing demand for secure data storage and processing.

The initiative reflects Bharti's interest in strengthening India's digital capabilities alongside its satellite communications ambitions.

Mittal also highlighted the need for India to examine regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence (AI) as the technology becomes increasingly important across industries.

His comments underscored the growing relevance of data infrastructure, digital security and regulatory preparedness in India's technology sector.

Mittal Praises India's Investment Climate, Calls For Reduced China Dependence

Discussing India's economic outlook, Mittal described the country's policy stability, predictability and foreign direct investment framework as favourable.

He said India had considerable potential to attract overseas investment, including capital from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore.

Bilateral trade agreements were also helping strengthen India's investment prospects, he added.

On global supply chains, Mittal cautioned against excessive dependence on China.

He said geopolitical tensions had exposed vulnerabilities created by the concentration of manufacturing and supply networks in one country.

Mittal stressed the importance of diversifying these arrangements to improve economic resilience.

Commenting on the Indian rupee, he acknowledged that the currency had experienced weakness over the preceding one-and-a-half years.

He attributed the depreciation partly to disruptions affecting global supply chains.

His remarks covered India's satellite connectivity ambitions, technology infrastructure and investment opportunities amid changing global economic conditions.