India restricts China linked satellites, broadcasters begin shift to GSAT and Intelsat

Why India is moving broadcasters off China linked satellites

India has begun moving domestic broadcasters and teleport operators away from satellites with Chinese links. The shift marks a security driven reset of satellite capacity used for television distribution and enterprise connectivity. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the national space sector regulator, has declined proposals from ChinaSat, APT Satellite ApStar, and Hong Kong based Asia Satellite Telecommunications to supply capacity in India. AsiaSat, a fixture in the Indian market for more than three decades, retains approval for only two spacecraft, AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7, and those authorizations are valid until March 2026. Operators that have depended on AsiaSat for C band distribution are now expected to migrate to India’s GSAT fleet or other approved foreign systems to keep services running without interruption.

This policy is rooted in security and resilience. Officials view satellites as part of critical communications infrastructure, alongside fiber, mobile networks, and undersea cables. During earlier years, India faced a shortage of domestic transponder capacity, so external satellites, including those with Chinese links, were used to ensure continuity. Capacity has since improved. The regulator has also set a single, explicit gate for all foreign satellites to operate in the country. This process is designed to ensure transparency, traceability, and control over who carries Indian broadcast and communications traffic.

Geopolitical tensions with China have raised the stakes. Space assets are increasingly intertwined with defense, navigation, and secure communications. By favoring domestically controlled platforms and a vetted list of foreign operators, policymakers aim to reduce exposure to external risk while expanding local capability. The change is happening in a phased manner so that broadcasters and enterprise customers can plan technical migrations with minimal disruption.

Who is affected and how operators are responding

The immediate impact falls on AsiaSat, ChinaSat, and ApStar, which had provided capacity to Indian broadcasters and teleport operators for many years. IN-SPACe has not granted new permissions for several AsiaSat craft, including AsiaSat 6, AsiaSat 8, and AsiaSat 9. AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7 remain authorized only until March 2026. AsiaSat has said, through its authorized partner in India, that it has applied for extensions, has a record of compliance in India, and has not been given a detailed explanation for the refusal of long term approvals. Discussions with the regulator are continuing.

Indian broadcasters and teleport operators are already moving. Zee Entertainment Enterprises confirmed a shift by mid September 2025 to India’s GSAT 30 and GSAT 17, and to Intelsat 20, and said it no longer runs services on AsiaSat 7. JioStar has outlined a full migration of its channel line up, including a phased period of dual illumination, where content runs simultaneously on old and new satellites to give partners time to retune equipment. Teleport operators that aggregate and uplink channels for networks and cable head ends are arranging new leases on GSAT and on approved foreign satellites to keep distribution steady.

Other foreign operators have regulatory clearance to serve India. Intelsat and Inmarsat are approved for communications and broadcasting. Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper, and the Jio SES partnership are in line for satellite broadband, pending final government approvals. IPStar and OrbitConnect are also among providers greenlit to offer services. The message from authorities is that capacity exists, both domestically and with trusted foreign partners, so the transition away from China linked satellites can proceed without the shortages that constrained choices in the past.

For companies still on AsiaSat 5 and 7, the clock is now visible. Licenses run to March 2026, and industry sources expect most migrations to finish well before that date. The aim is a controlled, orderly shift that avoids outages for broadcasters, cable operators, and enterprise users.

How satellite migration works in practice

Moving a channel bouquet or a corporate network from one satellite to another is a technical project rather than a single switch. Broadcasters first lock in capacity on a replacement satellite, then set up an uplink chain on the new platform while keeping the old link live. This period of dual illumination allows downstream partners, such as cable head ends, to reorient dishes, update transponder parameters, and verify signal quality. Only after the new path is confirmed do broadcasters power down the old feed. For large networks, this can take weeks, with careful coordination across hundreds of head ends nationwide.

Much of India’s broadcast backbone uses C band for distribution to cable networks because it is more resilient in heavy rain. AsiaSat 5 and 7 have long served as primary C band platforms for Indian channels. GSAT and Intelsat provide equivalent C band footprints over the subcontinent. Migration therefore involves retuning and sometimes minor alignment adjustments rather than a wholesale rebuild. Downlink antennas at head ends are pointed to geostationary satellites in a belt over the equator, roughly 36,000 kilometers above Earth. Once a broadcaster shares the new orbital slot and transponder parameters, head ends can lock the replacement signal and verify audio and video integrity.

For direct to home users and most viewers, this change should be invisible. End customers typically receive a stable channel lineup from their operator, and any backend satellite changes happen upstream at head ends and uplink stations. Some cable operators may notify partners to rescan or may schedule brief maintenance windows, but the goal is seamless continuity.

Enterprise networks that use satellite for corporate connectivity, back up links, or remote operations follow a similar plan. New capacity is provisioned, equipment is configured for the replacement satellite, and cutover happens with fallback to the old link until stability is confirmed. The process is routine in satellite operations and is usually planned to avoid business hours and service peaks.

Domestic capability and the new regulatory map

India’s GSAT series, built and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation, now offers meaningful capacity for national broadcast and communications needs. The government has made clear that satellite assets are part of strategic infrastructure, and that indigenous capacity will carry an increasing share of domestic traffic. Officials say that the local supply of transponders has improved to the point that companies will not face the crunch that once forced reliance on any foreign provider available at the time.

IN-SPACe, set up under the Department of Space, now serves as a single window for authorizing all foreign satellites to operate in India. Under the updated framework, providers apply for clearance that covers technical parameters, orbital slots, frequency coordination, and security assessments. The same rules apply to legacy platforms seeking renewals. This policy anchors the government’s approach to digital sovereignty, where critical communications flow through satellites and ground stations that are either domestically controlled or operated by partners vetted for compliance and security.

Satellite broadband is also on the horizon at scale. Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper, and the Jio SES venture are awaiting final nods to roll out services. These networks use constellations in low Earth orbit to deliver lower latency connectivity than traditional geostationary systems. LEO and GEO systems are complementary. LEO constellations are well suited for broadband in remote regions, on the move links for aviation and maritime, and backhaul for mobile networks. GEO platforms are ideal for broadcast distribution and for stable enterprise links that benefit from large beams and consistent coverage.

Security calculus and regional backdrop

Security planners treat satellites as both assets and potential attack surfaces. The concern with foreign controlled satellites in critical roles is twofold. First, command and telemetry control sits outside national jurisdiction. In a crisis, that control could be constrained, interrupted, or influenced in ways that are hard to detect or remedy. Second, data traversing foreign infrastructure can be targeted through legal processes abroad, cyber intrusion, supply chain pressure, or covert interception. Encryption reduces risk, yet it does not remove it entirely when the platform and the ground segment are not under domestic oversight.

Regional dynamics add urgency. China recently launched Yaogan 46, a satellite widely assessed by independent analysts to support reconnaissance from a higher orbit, while describing it for civilian uses. In the same period, India lofted its heaviest communication satellite to date into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The new Indian spacecraft, CMS 03, will provide coverage of the subcontinent and nearby oceanic regions and will support the Indian Navy with real time communications. Both developments illustrate how space capabilities in Asia are expanding in scale and strategic importance. India is pre positioning its communications ecosystem to be resilient if tensions rise.

Economic stakes and market impact

The policy intersects with a growth plan for the space economy. IN-SPACe projects India’s space market could reach 44 billion dollars by 2033, increasing its global share from roughly 2 percent to about 8 percent. Communications and broadcasting are expected to drive much of that growth, alongside earth observation, navigation services, and downstream applications. Reducing dependence on platforms linked to strategic rivals is meant to de risk that expansion while offering more room for domestic satellites and ground infrastructure to scale.

There are costs. Satellite migration involves leasing new transponder capacity, reconfiguring uplinks, and coordinating thousands of downlink sites. Large broadcasters do this routinely, but smaller teleport operators and regional networks must plan carefully to meet deadlines and manage expense. Over time, industry participants say a stable regulatory setting and clearer supply of domestic capacity can offset transitional costs. Vendors of antennas, RF chains, and monitoring systems stand to benefit from the upgrade cycle, and training for technicians will be in demand as networks retune and optimize.

For foreign providers, the message is not a blanket exclusion. Several non Chinese companies already hold approvals to serve India, and more may receive clearance after security and technical assessments. The move is targeted at operators with Chinese links and aligns with broader caution on critical infrastructure supply chains.

What AsiaSat says and the regulator position

AsiaSat and its authorized Indian partner have said they are seeking an extension for AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7 C band operations and have held multiple meetings with IN-SPACe. They point to more than 30 years of service to Indian broadcasters and state that there is no history of non compliance in India, with previous uplinks cleared by the relevant ministries. They also say the regulator has not provided reasons for withholding longer term authorization. IN-SPACe has emphasized that all foreign satellites must now receive explicit approval and that space is central to national security. It has not, at the time of writing, issued a public statement detailing the rejection rationale for individual satellites.

The practical outcome is clearer than the debate. Networks that relied on AsiaSat 5 and 7 are moving to GSAT and to approved foreign capacity. AsiaSat retains a limited window to serve existing customers while those migrations complete. The regulator has signaled confidence in local capacity, which reduces the likelihood of waivers based on shortage claims.

What it means for viewers and businesses

For the average viewer, channel availability should remain stable. Content providers normally maintain dual feeds for a period so that cable head ends can retune on their own schedules. A quick notice to rescan or a brief maintenance window may appear in some regions as operators complete the switch. Picture quality should not suffer. In many cases, the replacement satellites have comparable or better coverage and capacity.

Businesses that depend on satellite for critical operations, including banks, energy firms, and remote project sites, will coordinate changeovers to maintain service level agreements. Vendors have well tested playbooks for these moves, and uplink providers schedule cutovers outside peak hours. The broader benefit for enterprises is a communications chain with fewer external dependencies and clearer lines of accountability inside India.

Timeline and deadlines

Key milestones are already in motion. Broadcasters and teleport operators have been told to stop using China linked satellites as legacy authorizations expire. AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7 are permitted only until March 2026. Zee has confirmed its move to GSAT 30, GSAT 17, and Intelsat 20 as of mid September 2025. JioStar has targeted completion of its migration with a phased dual illumination window to avoid any disruption for distribution partners. Other networks are executing similar plans on schedules agreed with the regulator and their transmission partners.

LEO broadband providers, including Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper, and Jio SES, await final approvals to begin retail and enterprise services. Once active, those constellations will add new capacity and resiliency to the national communications mix. For broadcast distribution, GEO systems such as GSAT and Intelsat remain the backbone, which is why the current policy focuses on moving traffic to domestically controlled satellites and a vetted set of foreign platforms.

Key Points

• IN-SPACe has declined proposals from ChinaSat, ApStar, and AsiaSat to serve Indian broadcasters and teleport operators.
• AsiaSat is authorized for AsiaSat 5 and AsiaSat 7 only until March 2026, with applications for other satellites declined.
• Broadcasters are migrating to India’s GSAT fleet and to approved foreign capacity such as Intelsat 20 to avoid service disruption.
• Zee confirmed a shift to GSAT 30, GSAT 17, and Intelsat 20 by mid September 2025, and JioStar has begun moving its channels with dual illumination.
• Other foreign providers with approvals include Intelsat, Inmarsat, IPStar, and OrbitConnect, while Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper, and Jio SES await final broadband approvals.
• Officials say domestic satellite capacity has improved, removing the shortage that once forced broader reliance on foreign platforms.
• The policy is framed as a national security measure to reduce exposure to foreign controlled satellites in critical communication roles.
• India’s space economy is projected to reach 44 billion dollars by 2033, with communications and broadcasting as major growth drivers.
• Consumer impact should be minimal because migrations use dual illumination and coordinated retuning at cable head ends.