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TAMPA, Fla. — India is tightening security and data compliance rules for satellite connectivity, creating new hurdles for SpaceX’s Starlink and other broadband constellations aiming to enter the world’s most populous country.
The country’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced 29 additional regulations May 5, citing national security interests, which also apply to companies that already hold licenses for providing space-based communication services directly to users.
The rules include a requirement for call logs and other user data to be stored in India, and new obligations for interception and monitoring under national law.
Satellite operators must also show how they plan to source at least 20% of their ground infrastructure equipment from India within five years of commercial launch.
The move comes weeks after a deadly militant attack in India-controlled Kashmir heightened tensions between the country and neighboring Pakistan.
Regulatory roadblocks stall LEO ambitions
The rules create additional challenges for French fleet operator Eutelsat, which is still awaiting spectrum to launch services in the country from its OneWeb network in low Earth orbit, despite already securing India’s Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) license.
Meanwhile, local reports prior to the DoT announcement had suggested U.S.-based Starlink was nearing approval of its GMPCS license following years of negotiations.
India has an estimated population of more than 1.4 billion people — more than four times that of the United States — offering huge subscriber potential for connectivity providers, although disposable incomes vary significantly.
For Starlink, which has already penetrated many other markets, the country promises a “boom of growth” once regulatory hurdles are cleared, Novaspace management and strategy consultant Grace Khanuja said during a SpaceNews webinar May 6 on SpaceX’s financial outlook.
Novaspace’s recently released forecast on SpaceX’s financials does not anticipate regulatory clearance for Starlink in India during 2025.
“We still expect more than 50% growth in subscribers with the current countries,” Khanuja said during the webinar, along with some approvals in smaller markets.
She added that Starlink is on course to reach around 6.5 million active subscribers by the end of this year, driven by mobility, consumer, enterprise and other broadband customers.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment, while Eutelsat said it needed more time to provide one.
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