Revised satellite guidelines to bolster security amid Pakistan tensions; disruption from Starlink entry unlikely: Minister

The DoT on May 5 released a fresh set of stringent security guidelines to tighten control over satellite-based internet services.

Revised satellite communication guidelines issued by the department of telecommunications (DoT) will help address cross-border security threats in light of ongoing tensions with Pakistan, minister of state for rural development and communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on May 6.

Separately, he said that Elon Musk’s Starlink is expected to play a limited role in connecting remote areas due to its higher cost.

“There is inter cross-border network issues. And you look at Pakistan, what are they doing? [they] hack us like left and right and morning to evening. So that’s why, you know, when you expose all these things, there will be a lot more security issues so that is the reason, we’re taking extra caution,” the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the Bharat Telecom 2025 event in New Delhi.

The DoT on May 5 released a fresh set of stringent security guidelines to tighten control over satellite-based internet services.

The revised norms, now part of Chapter XII of the Unified License (UL) Agreement, mandate additional obligations for companies offering such services. These include blocking websites when required, establishing local data centers, supporting NavIC-based positioning systems, and phasing in domestic manufacturing.

The updated guidelines also take into account emerging technologies such as inter-satellite communication links and satellite companies offering both mobility and fixed services. The changes are particularly significant for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licensees, including foreign players, and reinforce national security controls as India expands its satellite communication infrastructure.

Regarding Starlink’s pending approval, Pemmasani described the issue as “complicated.”

“We have to look at multiple angles. Security is one of them. Definitely, since it is in the final stage, we will get back to you on that,” he said.

However, he played down concerns about Starlink’s impact on India’s telecom and satellite communication market.

“This [Starlink] is mainly to connect the remote areas where traditional networks will be hard to reach. That is number one. And number two is mainly for inside the home and not for mobile. People are so scared, they will take away all the market and all this stuff. That is not true. There should not be any worry,” Pemmasani said, adding their service and hardware cost is high.

He noted that Starlink has fewer than 50 lakh subscribers globally and is unlikely to significantly disrupt the Indian market.

The minister also reiterated that spectrum allocation for satellite communication services will be carried out through the administrative route once regulatory processes are complete.