Today: 7 November 2025
Subscribe
Browse Category

International Law News 6 June 2025 - 24 July 2025

This Common Phone Feature Could Land You in Jail Abroad: Inside the Global Crackdown on GPS and Satellite Phones

This Common Phone Feature Could Land You in Jail Abroad: Inside the Global Crackdown on GPS and Satellite Phones

India bans unlicensed satellite communication and navigation devices, including Thuraya and Iridium phones and Garmin InReach, under the Indian Telegraph Act (1885) and Wireless Telegraphy Act (1933), with penalties up to three years in prison or ₹5 million in fines, and limited DoT licensing for Inmarsat devices. The 2008 Mumbai attacks involved a Thuraya satellite phone, prompting India’s tougher crackdown on civilian satphones. In March 2025 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, three American travelers and one Australian were booked under Indian telecom laws for carrying Garmin GPS units and an Iridium satphone. Between January 2020 and September 2021, Karnataka
24 July 2025
 ·  ·  ·  · 
Where Satellite Phones Are Illegal?

Where Satellite Phones Are Illegal?

Bangladesh bans satellite phone use; possession can lead to arrest and imprisonment. North Korea prohibits all unauthorized communication devices, foreigners must surrender phones and privacy is not guaranteed, with detention possible. India restricts satellite phones to government‑approved Inmarsat devices, requiring a license (No Objection Certificate) from the Department of Telecommunications before bringing one in. China maintains a de facto ban on private sat phones, requiring registration for limited state use and has deployed jammers in some areas to block unapproved devices. Chad bans satellite phones under any circumstances, with Thuraya explicitly outlawed and Iridium sometimes tolerated. Myanmar (Burma) effectively bans
6 June 2025
 ·  ·  ·  · 
Go toTop