Airtel calls for unified data sovereignty rules, says critical Indian data needs local control

Bharti Airtel has called for a consistent national framework governing critical Indian data, questioning the fragmented regulatory approach that allows different rules for processing data overseas and arguing that sensitive information should remain under the control of a sovereign technology stack.

Speaking at the Global Fintech Fest 2026, Bharti Airtel Group CRO and Director — Corporate Affairs Rahul Vatts said data residency should not be confused with data sovereignty. The crucial question, he said, was not merely where data was stored but who controlled the technology architecture through which it was managed.

Airtel questions fragmented policy

Vatts said the government had taken a significant first step through its recent circular on the issue and had held detailed discussions over the past 30-45 days. However, he argued that India needed clarity over the “control plane” governing critical data and a more uniform policy across sectors.

“The second part is that we need to get away from this fragmented policy approach,” Vatts said. While critical government datasets are expected to remain on sovereign infrastructure, he questioned why the same principle should not extend to energy information, health records and citizens’ identities.

“I think this policy approach has to be consistent so that we cover the entire universe of what is critical to us,” he said.

As sectoral regulators frame their own guidelines, Vatts said organisations handling critical workloads would increasingly have to assess not merely which cloud provider to use but which cloud architecture could guarantee end-to-end control under Indian law.

He argued that personal identities, health records and financial information should all be considered critical datasets. “Why should any other country have access to that data?” he asked.

Airtel bets on sovereign cloud demand

The comments come as Airtel expands its data-centre infrastructure and bets on rising demand for sovereign cloud services in India. The company is in the process of building a couple of 100-megawatt data centres over the next few years as digitalisation and artificial intelligence drive greater demand for computing and storage infrastructure.

Vatts said sovereignty should involve both laws governing Indian data and control over the underlying technology infrastructure used to manage it.

The debate over sovereign cloud infrastructure has gained importance as governments and companies increasingly consider the legal and strategic implications of storing sensitive information on technology platforms that may be subject to foreign jurisdictions.

Data consumption could nearly double

Vatts said India was already generating enormous quantities of digital information, with mobile data consumption reaching around 38-40 GB per customer every month.

He said projections indicated consumption could increase to around 70-75 GB per customer per month over the next three to four years, substantially expanding the volume of information generated and processed within the country.

The rapid digitalisation of payments, financial services and other systems was further increasing the importance of data governance, he said, pointing to the enormous volume of transactions taking place through India's digital payment infrastructure.

“You are today generating huge amount of data for yourself,” Vatts said, adding that the expanding financial ecosystem made it increasingly important for India to retain clear control over critical information.

Geopolitics reshapes data debate

Vatts said the issue was not unique to India, with countries such as Germany and France also increasingly examining how greater control can be maintained over nationally important data.

The changing geopolitical environment, he argued, had made control over digital infrastructure and information an increasingly strategic consideration for governments.

Airtel's position is that India should move beyond sector-by-sector rules and establish a coherent framework identifying which categories of information are critical and how they should be controlled.

Such an approach, Vatts said, would ensure that the country's rapidly expanding pool of digital information remains governed by Indian laws and a technology architecture over which India retains sovereign control.