The State Duma has adopted a package of amendments that prohibits the sale in Russia of equipment intended for foreign satellite communication systems that have not received authorization for the use of Russian radio frequencies, reports Izvestia publication.
Websites offering such devices for sale will be included in the register of prohibited online resources. The measure primarily targets the Starlink terminals of the company SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk.
Although the service is not officially operating in Russia, in recent years terminals have been introduced into the country through unofficial import schemes.
From April, a temporary ban is already in force, valid for six months, on the import of satellite communication equipment that does not use frequencies approved by Russian authorities. The new changes extend the restrictions to the marketing of these devices as well.
The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia has confirmed that the measures reinforce the prohibition on the sale of equipment operating outside of state regulations.
“By definition, Starlink terminals were unauthorized on the territory of the Russian Federation. They did not meet the requirements for satellite communication equipment: they had no allocated frequencies, they were not certified, and so on,” said the founder of the K-Internet company, Sergey Pehterev, for Business FM.
According to this, until now the authorities have de facto tolerated the existence of such terminals.
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