Following the June release of its “Satellite Regulatory Playbook ,” the GSMA recently hosted a LinkedIn Live panel to unpack how policymakers can navigate the complex regulatory shift introduced by Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. Developed in collaboration with Access Partnership, the playbook arrives as satellite services evolve from traditional wholesale capacity models to direct-to-user consumer offerings, challenging legacy frameworks built for geostationary satellites.

During the live discussion, regulators from Uganda and Tanzania joined industry experts to discuss what this transition looks like on the ground. The session featured insights from Tomas Lamanauskas (ITU), Bogere Joseph Alfred (Uganda Communications Commission), Victor A. Kweka (Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority), Mike Silber (MTN), alongside Michaela Angonius and Nitin Sapra representing the GSMA.

This week’s #TechTalkThursday breaks down the playbook’s core regulatory framework, and what it means for African policymakers navigating the LEO era.

The Shift That Demands New Frameworks

For decades, satellite operators sold capacity wholesale to intermediaries using geostationary satellites, meaning they were rarely required to hold local telecommunications service licenses or comply with end-user obligations. Since 2019, however, LEO constellations have fundamentally rewritten this dynamic.

Today’s operators are increasingly vertically integrated. They deploy their own ground infrastructure, manufacture hardware in-house, and provide managed connectivity directly to enterprise customers and end users. Whether operating as fully integrated direct providers, partnering with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), or running hybrid reseller models, these structures no longer map onto legacy regulatory frameworks.

To bridge this gap, the GSMA’s new playbook establishes five core principles: transparency, regulatory parity, harmonization, collaboration, and a balance between innovation and oversight. These principles are translated into action through eight distinct regulatory pillars.

The Eight Pillars of LEO Regulation

To help national regulators manage this new wave of direct-to-user satellite services, the GSMA playbook outlines eight practical pillars:

Local Establishment Rules

Retail satellite operators should maintain a domestic legal entity or authorized local representative to ensure direct accountability and manage foreign ownership compliance.

National Security

Security requirements, including data protection, data localization, and lawful interception capabilities, should align with those imposed on terrestrial networks.

Consumer Protection and Operational Measures

End users deserve equal safeguards. Standard rules on subscriber identity verification, billing transparency, and local dispute resolution must apply.

Infrastructure and Facility Requirements

Governments should establish clear, predictable guidelines for licensing gateway earth stations, user terminals, and physical Points of Presence (PoPs).

End User Terminal Deployment

User equipment and direct-to-device (D2D) smartphones must comply with national radio standards and local equipment certification processes.

Fiscal Considerations

To prevent market distortion, satellite providers should contribute standard licensing fees, regulatory levies, taxes, and universal service contributions.

Emergency Services and Public Safety

Safety frameworks must be modernized so satellite-enabled devices can seamlessly route local emergency calls and receive public safety alerts.

Enforcement

Because these networks are managed globally, regulators should focus enforcement on local market access, such as restricting uncertified terminal sales, and leverage regional information-sharing.

The Space vs. Ground Distinction

A critical technical distinction championed by the playbook is the line between space segment authorizations and ground segment licensing. Space-segment authorisations address international coordination and oversight of space activities, while ground-segment licensing ensures that retail services offered within a country are subject to local laws.

As GSMA representatives clarified during the event, landing rights authorize the satellite system itself to operate over a national territory but do not grant the right to sell retail telecommunications services locally. For that, operators must secure ground-segment authorizations, which govern whether an entity is permitted to operate networks and serve the public under local laws.

Ground-Level Realities: The Regulator Perspective

The regulators on the panel have already begun translating these high-level principles into national policy. Bogere Joseph Alfred, Director of Licensing, Compliance, and Enforcement at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), shared that Uganda’s regulatory journey took two years of deep planning:

We didn’t know many things: how to regulate LEOs, how to compare LEOs with international networks, whether they should have the same terms and conditions. But we were thinking deep to ensure that whatever comes should be in harmony with what is already existing.

– Bogere Joseph Alfred, Director of Licensing, Compliance, and Enforcement at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

Uganda’s subsequent licensing conditions, issued in May, mirror the playbook by mandating local equipment certification, customer care facilities within national jurisdiction, and local gateways for lawful interception. Alfred highlighted that Uganda remains strictly technology-neutral, regulating broadband services the same way whether delivered via fiber, 5G, or satellite.

Tanzania has taken a similarly proactive approach. Victor A. Kweka, Director of Legal Services at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), noted that Tanzania revised its licensing rules in 2023 and published D2D guidelines for satellite-MNO partnerships in July 2024:

The way we used to perceive satellites 10 or 15 years ago is not the satellites we are talking about today,” Kweka observed. “We have tried as much as possible to engage stakeholders to obtain their perspective and address opportunities and challenges.

– Victor A. Kweka, Director of Legal Services at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)

Kweka confirmed that the principles laid out in the GSMA playbook align closely with the frameworks Tanzania has already put into practice.

The Enforcement Challenge

Despite these policy strides, both regulators admitted that enforcement remains a major challenge, particularly when dealing with massive global satellite operators.

“Most LEOs are giants globally, and we see them pulling strings, battling even bigger countries than ours. We are yet to see how enforcement really plays out to the tune of the regulator.”

– Bogere Joseph Alfred, Director of Licensing, Compliance, and Enforcement at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

Kweka raised similar concerns regarding complex, centralized satellite business models:

“The issue of compliance and how you’re going to enforce, especially when some technologies may not really fit with what you have been anticipating or put in place.”

– Victor A. Kweka, Director of Legal Services at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)

To address this, the playbook advises regulators to focus on local touchpoints, such as restricting the distribution of user terminals, while building stronger cross-border information-sharing networks with regional peers.

A Shared Framework for a Rapidly Evolving Space

Ultimately, the playbook is intended as a guide for regulatory dialogue rather than a rigid rulebook. Michaela Angonius, Head of Policy and Regulation at GSMA, explained the objective behind the publication:

“Putting a playbook in place gives regulators as well as industry the opportunity to review, engage, and discuss on some of these key topics. It’s not prescriptive, but it does create an environment to consider how these issues could be addressed.”

– Michaela Angonius, Head of Policy and Regulation, GSMA

As these conversations continue, the core focus must remain on the end user. Mike Silber, Group Executive of Regulatory Affairs at MTN, offered a vital reminder of the stakes involved during the closing segment of the panel:

“I think we’ve got to center the user in all of this. We’re large companies. We’ll battle it out. We’ll compete with each other. The dust will settle. But at the end of it, the consumers are the ones who should not be negatively impacted because of the new technologies… Let the big elephants fight it out, and we’ll compete with each other fairly, and we’ll come to an equitable arrangement. But the grass mustn’t suffer in the process.”

-Mike Silber, Group Executive Regulatory Affairs, MTN

From Framework to National Policy

The true test moving forward will be coordination. If regulatory bodies can adapt these core pillars without retreating into fragmented, border-by-border rules, they can do more than just manage the disruption of new satellite tech. They can build a cohesive, technology-neutral market that attracts long-term investment, while ensuring the African consumer remains firmly protected.