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Key Points

Sunil Mittal reassures that India's data security remains uncompromised under the India-UK Free Trade Agreement. He emphasizes India's selective data-sharing policy with trusted partners. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act further strengthens data security measures. Mittal also clarifies that satellite services like Starlink must adhere to Indian regulations during emergencies.

Key Points: Sunil Mittal Says India-UK FTA Safeguards Data Sharing Provisions

  • Mittal affirms India's strong stance on secure data exchanges
  • Highlights India's digital connectivity leadership
  • DPDP Act ensures robust data security
  • Starlink must comply with Indian laws during crises
3 min read

India has not compromised on data sharing under FTA with UK: Sunil Mittal

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal assures India's data protections remain intact under the India-UK FTA, emphasizing trusted partnerships.

"India wants to exchange data only with trusted partners, trusted countries. And these kinds of FTAs help in establishing those relationships. – Sunil Mittal"

London, July 25

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal reassured that the India-UK Free Trade Agreement does not compromise data protections, asserting that India has a "clear position" on securing its data provisions in every way.

Bharti Enterprises Chairman said that the country is uniquely positioned to ensure secure data exchanges only with trusted partners.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Bharti Enterprises Chairman said, "In today's world, data movement is one of the most important issues in the trade, and services. And given India's advantage in digital connectivity now, which is not only at par with the world but perhaps in certain cases ahead of the world in its availability of data, the pricing, and the consumption patterns that you see, India has a very, very clear position."

"India has a very, very clear position. It wants to exchange data only with trusted partners, trusted countries. And these kinds of FTAs help in establishing those relationships," he added.

India's data localisation requirements, including the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, will ensure robust security for Indian data, Mittal said.

Discussing Starlink's partnership with his company, Mittal addressed potential concerns about satellite internet in crisis scenarios, such as internet shutdowns in conflict zones like Manipur.

He clarified that, should such disruptions occur, the Indian government would have the authority to order the shutdown of services from licensed operators.

"They (Indian Government) will have to immediately make a request to the people who have been licensed (with Starlink) in India and they'll be duty bound to follow the law of the land, absolutely. I mean tomorrow, if we are operating OneWeb in India and if there are directions for us to shut the services, we will have no other recourse but to do that. I mean, you are operating under the license GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite) given by the DOT. So you have to stay within those norms," Mittal stated.

The much-awaited landmark India-UK Free Trade Agreement was signed on Thursday, in the presence of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Keir Starmer, providing greater access to goods and services between the two countries.

On May 6, Prime Minister Modi and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer, announced the successful conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The idea behind the trade deal is to eliminate or reduce tariffs on imports and exports between the two nations. This should make Indian products competitive in the UK and vice versa.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone working in IT sector, I appreciate the clarity on data localization. But I hope the implementation of DPDP Act will be smooth without creating unnecessary compliance burdens for startups.
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Ananya R
Finally some good news! The FTA will help our small businesses export more to UK market. Textile and handicraft sector will benefit the most I think. #MakeInIndia
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Vikram M
While the intentions are good, I'm concerned about how data protection laws will be enforced practically. We've seen many policies fail at implementation stage. Hope this time will be different.
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Kavya N
The Starlink partnership is interesting but government control during emergencies is crucial. Remember what happened in Ukraine war - internet became a weapon. India is right to keep safeguards.
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David E
As a UK businessman, I welcome this agreement. Lower tariffs will help both economies. But the data protection rules need to be clearly defined to avoid future disputes.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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