Thailand to crack down on scammers using illegal LEO satellite kits

Details: John Tanner; Category: Satellite Networks; 18 February 2025; 10624 views

Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry is reportedly planning to crack down on scammers using LEO satellite services like Starlink to provide connectivity for their operations.

According to a report in the Bangkok Post on Monday, the ministry has been trying to shut down call centre gangs along the Thai border by cutting off their access to terrestrial internet connectivity.

However, the gangs have responded by turning to LEO satellite services like Starlink to get online. DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said scammers have been smuggling LEO satellite kits across the border into Thailand. Late last year, the ministry and joint parties “seized many sets of Starlink satellite equipment” being used for fraud, the report said.

Prasert said he would urge the ministry to put illegal LEO satellite usage high on its overall agenda to combat online fraud. Other measures taken by DES include blocking social media, illegal websites and gambling websites, seizure and interception of money transfers, suspending mule SIMs linked to mobile banking and shutting down illegal telecoms towers, the report said.

Starlink is not legally available in Thailand, as it has yet to be licenced by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

LEO satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb has been approved to launch services in Thailand via its partnership with state-owned telco National Telecom. Both companies announced in November 2024 that OneWeb would be commercially available in January 2025, but to date no official commercial launch has been announced.

Last week, True Corporation signed an MoU with Chinese LEO satellite player GalaxySpace to jointly study and develop LEO technologies such as integrated network solutions for space and ground systems and direct-to-device (D2D) technologies.