STARLINK'S INDIA STRUGGLE: SPECTRUM, SURVEILLANCE, AND CONNECTIVITY

Starlink's regulatory experience in India offers critical insights into the delicate interplay between innovation, law, and sovereignty.

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It underscores the importance of early, structured dialogue between technology providers and government regulators

The vast rural expanses of India are often overshadowed by the country's urban-centric digital growth; digital isolation has long stifled progress. Starlink's ambitious satellite network now promises to turn night into day, literally and figuratively, by beaming high-speed internet across terrains where cables don't reach and towers don't exist. But as this technological advance prepared to bridge the digital divide, it became entangled in a complex web of legal, regulatory, and security challenges. At stake today is not just the roll-out of a service but a broader question: can the innovation Starlink represents navigate tradition and sovereignty to bring rural and urban India closer together?

Which regulations apply to Starlink?

In its endeavour to provide satellite-based internet services in India, Starlink must navigate a complex legal and regulatory landscape. The cornerstone of this landscape is the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) licence from the Department of Telecommunications as required by the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.

Section 4 of the Act grants the Union government the exclusive privilege to establish and operate telegraphs (interpreted broadly to include modern communication technologies like VSAT) and empowers it to issue licences. Section 7 further authorises the government to frame rules governing such licences.