Starlink may be asked to share information on illegal satellite kits seized

Satcom's permit to Elon Musk’s Starlink’s from the Indian government will make it mandatory for the company to share information, including details of users or owners of satellite kits seized in the country, particularly in the North- East region in the past few months. The US company was unwilling to share that information earlier. They have not been cooperative in sharing details and asked the agencies to put their requests either via the US law enforcement or international protocols. In March, the Ministry of Home Affairs wrote to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to investigate the matter, as Starlink was not willing to comply with the disclosure requirements.

India’s security agencies have pointed out the misuse of Starlink devices in Indian territory, especially in the border areas.

Starlink became the third company after Eutelsat’s OneWeb and Reliance Jio to be granted the crucial licence. The next steps for Starlink include obtaining approvals from the Indian space regulator IN-SPACe and securing spectrum allocation before it can begin commercial operations. The company received a conditional nod from the government in May to operate satellite-based internet services in India.

As per earlier reports, the DoT issued a Letter of Intent (LoI) to Starlink after it had agreed to 29 stringent security conditions. These conditions included requirements for real-time terminal tracking, local data processing, legal interception capabilities, and localization of at least 20% of Starlink’s ground segment infrastructure within a few years.

The telecommunications department issued a new set of Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) guidelines, which mandate compliance with 29 new security norms to acquire satcom licences, where all satcom operators must create provisions for blocking of websites, collection of metadata, lawful interception facilities, among others. 

Also Read: Starlink gets govt nod to launch satellite internet service in India