Relevance: GS III (Science & Tech – Space) & GS II (International Relations – Digital Sovereignty) | Source: The Indian Express / Reuters

1. The Core Conflict

The battle for information control has shifted from the ground to the stars. In a significant geopolitical development, activists in Iran are using smuggled Starlink terminals to pierce the regime’s “Digital Iron Curtain.”

• The Shift: Traditionally, authoritarian regimes enforce censorship by cutting off local ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and fiber-optic gateways.
• The Disruption: Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations (like Starlink) bypass this ground infrastructure entirely, beaming internet directly from space to small user terminals.

2. The Tech War: LEOs vs. The State

This has triggered a high-stakes game of “Cat and Mouse”:

• The Bypass: Starlink terminals are small, portable, and hard to detect compared to massive satellite dishes of the past.
• State Countermeasures: The Iranian state has deployed military-grade jammers to disrupt GPS signals (which Starlink terminals need to locate satellites). They have also banned imports.
• Resilience: Unlike a central switch that can be turned off, a satellite network is decentralized. To stop it, a state must physically find and jam thousands of individual terminals—a nearly impossible task.

3. Global Implications: The “Splinternet” & India

• The “Musk Effect”: Private tech giants are now geopolitical actors. The operation was aided by US sanctions exemptions, showing how private tech can influence foreign policy.
• The “Splinternet”: As nations like China and Iran build “sovereign internets” (firewalled from the world), satellite internet acts as a counter-force, keeping the global web unified.
• Lesson for India: This underscores the need for Strategic Autonomy in space. India must develop its own satellite internet capabilities (e.g., OneWeb, JioSpaceFiber) so that its communication resilience during disasters or conflicts isn’t dependent on foreign companies or US waivers.

UPSC Value Box

Q. With reference to satellite communication systems, consider the following statements:

1. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are preferred for internet services over Geostationary (GEO) satellites primarily due to their lower signal latency.
2. The term “Splinternet” refers to the fragmentation of the internet due to government-imposed restrictions and firewalls.
3. The “Kessler Syndrome” is a theoretical scenario describing the potential overcrowding and collision cascades in Earth’s orbit.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (d)