LowV Technology Geopolitics & AI5 November 2026, Thursday
TRAI wants satellite network control centres kept inside India
On 5 November the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) proposed a new authorisation category for satellite communications network providers. Under the 20-year authorisation, network control facilities would have to be located in India and Indian traffic could not be routed through foreign gateways.
According to a PTI report published by The Week on 5 November, providers holding the new authorisation would sell capacity to telecom operators but could not serve end users directly. It would cover the whole country for 20 years, extendable by another 20, with a fee of 8% of adjusted gross revenue. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) referred the matter to TRAI on 3 July 2025, and a consultation paper followed on 8 April 2026. The recommendation is not binding; under the 2023 Telecommunications Act, the DoT has the final say.
MediaNama detailed the security conditions on 6 November. Operation, maintenance and control facilities must be in India, and providers must offer real-time traffic monitoring. Routing Indian traffic through foreign gateways or mirroring it to foreign networks is restricted, and no terminal may communicate directly with a satellite without passing through a gateway. The location of every ground-station gateway must be notified to the government before construction, and attempts by unregistered terminals must be reported.
The proposal also opens the way for phones to connect directly to satellites. Alongside the L and S bands, six terrestrial mobile bands between 600 and 2100 MHz could be used without waiting for the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference. That requires consent from operators holding the relevant channel in all 22 licence areas. The recommendation does not name Starlink, OneWeb or Kuiper; as of 9 November it could not be verified how the conditions would apply to these operators.
Talay assessment
Bottom line
In its 5 November recommendation, TRAI opened satellite capacity to the telecom market but priced it in sovereignty conditions. The foreign-gateway restriction and real-time monitoring would force global low-Earth-orbit operators to build an India-specific architecture. The most likely path is that the DoT largely adopts the proposal and foreign operators' entry becomes tied to ground-station investment.
Likely effects
- Satellite operatorsNegative1–6 months
The requirement to build control facilities and gateways in India raises the cost and time of entry for foreign operators; the 20-year authorisation offsets this.
- Telecom operatorsPositive1–6 months
Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea could buy capacity and deduct what they pay from the revenue base for the 8% fee, making rural coverage cheaper.
- Cyber sovereigntyUncertain6 months+
Real-time monitoring and the gateway mandate give the state single-point oversight of Indian satellite traffic, widening the privacy debate.
Possibilities, ranked
- 1DoT largely adopts it60%
The DoT keeps most of the security and fee conditions and publishes authorisation rules.
Watch: The DoT's response to the recommendations and publication of authorisation rules
- 2Conditions softened25%
After objections from foreign operators, traffic-mirroring and gateway conditions are phased in.
Watch: Formal objections from operators to the DoT
- 3Process drags on15%
The DoT defers a decision until after the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.
Watch: No DoT decision announced by early 2027
Probabilities are calibrated judgement based on the sources, not measurement, and are revised as new information arrives. Not investment advice.
Market reaction
Indicators affected
- Authorisation fee▼ 8% AGR
- Authorisation term▲ 20 years