India's IN-SPACe bars China-linked satellites from offering services
Broadcaster operations teams cannot use China-linked satellite capacity
Change
India's IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre) has prohibited China-linked satellite operators, including Chinasat and ApStar, from offering any services in India effective April 1, 2026, while granting AsiaSat a limited extension through June 30, 2026 permitting downlink-only use by international TV channels and occasional sporting-event use.
Why it matters
China-linked satellite capacity may no longer be contracted for service delivery in India; broadcasters must obtain capacity only from IN-SPACe‑approved operators. AsiaSat's remaining authorisation is limited to downlink-only international TV channels and occasional sporting-event use and expires on June 30, 2026.
Implications
- — Broadcaster operations teams in India must migrate active uplinks and transmission workflows off Chinasat and ApStar immediately — continued use after April 1, 2026 will be disallowed and those links will be unusable.
- — Satellite capacity procurement teams at broadcasters in India must verify an operator appears on IN-SPACe's approved list before signing new capacity contracts now — capacity contracted with China-linked operators for post-April 1 use will not be available for service delivery.
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Source
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