MIB issues advisory on provisioning of satellite capacity on non- Indian satellites

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory on provisioning of satellite capacity on non-Indian satellites.

The existing arrangements/mechanisms/processes for provisioning of capacity in any of the frequency bands (C, Ku or Ka) from the Non-Indian Satellite operators can be extended till March 31, 2025. Effective from April 1, 2025 only IN-SPACe authorised non-Indian 050 satellites and/or NGSO satellite constellation are permitted to provision their capacity to provide space-based communication/ broadcast services in India.

Any new capacity, additional capacity, change of satellite etc. on non-Indian Satellite/Constellation needs IN-SPACe Authorisation, through an Indian Entity, in order to enable provisioning of its capacity to users for communication/ broadcast services in Indian Territory.

The advisory said that beyond March 31, 2025, only satellites authorised by IN-SPACe can provide space-based communication and broadcast services in India, and any new or additional capacity must comply with these authorisation requirements.

It read, "Applications for IN-SPACe authorisation must be submitted through the IN-SPACe digital platform by an Indian Entity. This entity could be an Indian subsidiary, joint venture / collaboration, or an authorized dealer/representative of the non-Indian satellite operator in India."

In May, the space regulator IN-SPACe released norms, guidelines and procedures (NGP) to implement policy Indian Space Policy-2023. The NGP is said to complement the government's endeavour in providing a predictable regulatory regime, transparency and ease of doing business in the Indian space sector.

According to it, the authorisation for the payloads of a Non-Indian Satellite operating in the planned BSS & planned FSS bands could be considered subject to the condition that the operations of these payloads are brought under Indian ITU Filing eventually with appropriate arrangement within the ambit of ITU regulations.

Additionally, fresh authorisation from IN-SPACe shall be required for authorising the Non-Indian Satellites which are already provisioning their capacity in India either through lease agreement involving NSIL/Antrix (DoS) or through direct lease of the C-Band capacity from the Non-Indian Satellite operators.