As India prepares for widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, Bharti Airtel is advocating for a comprehensive approach to cloud sovereignty that goes beyond simply storing data within the country’s borders. Rahul Vatts, Group Chief Regulatory Officer and Director Corporate Affairs at Airtel, outlined the company’s vision at Global Fintech Fest 2026, emphasising the need for complete control over the entire technology stack supporting critical digital workloads.
Beyond Data Residency
Vatts cautioned against equating sovereignty with data residency alone, stating that while storing data in India is a component of a sovereign architecture, it’s not the whole picture. He explained that a common misconception is assuming sovereignty simply because data is located within India. Airtel believes true sovereignty encompasses digital, operational, and jurisdictional control.
Four Pillars of Sovereignty
Airtel identifies four key elements for evaluating cloud sovereignty:
- Data Residency: Data generated in India must be stored and protected within the country.
- Digital Sovereignty: Control systems managing the data must remain within a sovereign, locally-managed stack.
- Operational Sovereignty: Control over the operation of the infrastructure is crucial, particularly given growing geopolitical concerns and the need to protect critical data.
- Jurisdictional Sovereignty: Locally generated data should be protected by Indian laws and not subject to the legal demands of other jurisdictions.
Vatts also noted that technological sovereignty is sometimes considered a fifth component. The core principle, he stressed, is “having end-to-end control of this entire sovereign stack.”
Growing Data Consumption Drives the Need
The call for a robust sovereign cloud framework comes as India experiences a surge in data consumption. Currently, average customer data usage is around 38GB to 40GB per month, a figure Airtel anticipates will rise to approximately 70GB to 75GB within the next three to four years. This increase, coupled with the digitisation of essential services like financial services, healthcare, and identity systems, necessitates stronger data safeguards.
A Consistent National Framework
While acknowledging the government’s initial steps towards addressing cloud sovereignty – including guidelines issued in March – Vatts urged for a more consistent and unified policy framework. He questioned why sovereignty requirements shouldn’t be applied universally across critical sectors like energy, healthcare, and identity management, rather than being limited to government datasets. He believes a comprehensive framework covering all critical information is vital for strengthening the safety, trust, and resilience of India’s digital systems.
Measuring Success
Airtel proposed two key metrics for measuring the success of India’s sovereign cloud initiative: the scale of sovereign cloud infrastructure deployment and the proportion of critical workloads that meet the requirements of sovereignty – encompassing residency, operational control, and legal jurisdiction.
