SpaceX subsidiary Starlink, which already provides internet access in Kazakhstan through low-Earth-orbit satellites, will be required to register in the country and purchase internet traffic from local operators, according to Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and minister of AI and digital development.
«Satellite internet service is supplementary to internet provided via fiber-optic networks. The provision of satellite services by foreign operators must comply with the new standards we are introducing into law,» he said during a meeting in the parliament, where lawmakers considered in the first reading amendments related to the development of the telecommunications market and data centers.
New requirements for foreign satellite operators
Among the proposed requirements is the mandatory establishment of a ground station, or point of presence, in Kazakhstan.
«This means they will be required to purchase internet traffic from local operators and register a legal entity in Kazakhstan,» Madiyev said.
Companies providing satellite internet services will also be required to comply with all legal requirements related to cybersecurity, national security and personal data protection, he added.
All satellite traffic will be required to pass through the national telecommunications network control center.
«They will have to comply with all these requirements; otherwise, their operations will be suspended,» the minister said.
According to Madiyev, the terms were negotiated with foreign companies during the drafting of the amendments.
Starlink use grows despite regulatory uncertainty
For months, social media users in Kazakhstan have posted accounts describing how they use Starlink terminals purchased independently.
Read also: Kazakhstan to share Starlink internet with neighbors.
Users say unlimited satellite internet access through a Starlink terminal starts at about 23,000 tenge ($50) per month and can be shared with other users. In some cases, users in villages and cities have reportedly resold internet access to neighbors.
