Mittal says India must hold satellite ‘kill switch’, warns against dependence on single provider

New Delhi Bharti Airtel founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has called for India to retain control over the “kill switch” for satellite communications operating in the country, warning against dependence on a single foreign provider as the government weighs security conditions for the launch of satellite broadband services. “The kill switch, as we call it, should not be sitting somewhere else. India must have control over its own space destiny,” Mr. Mittal said in an interview with PTI marking the 50th anniversary of Bharti Enterprises. His remarks come amid an increasingly public contest between satellite operators seeking access to India’s potentially vast market, with Elon Musk’s Starlink and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb awaiting regulatory clearances to begin commercial operations. The comments also come against the backdrop of a growing dispute over Starlink’s entry into India. Mr.