This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

India has just made it harder for Starlink to enter the market.

Around two months after Starlink with the country’s leading telecom operators, India – home to the world’s second-largest internet user base – introduced that satellite internet providers must comply with for permission to operate.

The 29-point directive issued on May 5 mandates that companies provide real-time location tracking, data localisation, metadata sharing, and website blocking as well as set up surveillance zones near borders. The new rules come in the wake of a surge in tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan.

The rules will affect existing license holders, like Indian telecom giants Airtel and , as well as those awaiting regulatory approvals, like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Rest of World spoke to telecom experts to understand the implications of the new rules. The comments have been edited for length and clarity.

Varun Gupta, senior analyst, Counterpoint Technology Market Research

“The new rules represent a welcome step toward regulatory clarity, which was previously lacking.

Certain aspects of these rules will be enabled for the first time in any market where satellite internet has been used. Their implementation could delay the rollout of satellite...