Trai to come out with recommendation for satcom spectrum soon: Trai Chairman

Telecom regulator Trai will issue recommendations on rules for satellite spectrum allocation very soon, an official said on Monday. The government will evaluate recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and thereafter decide on allocating spectrum to satellite communication companies, which will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services in the country. In response to a question on the recommendation on satcom spectrum rules during an event on National Consumer Day, Trai Chairman A K Lahoti said it will be issued “very soon”.

Trai concluded an open-house discussion on the terms and conditions for the assigning spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services in the second week of November.

Telecom service providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel want spectrum for full mobility across the country should be allocated through auctions only. However, Elon Musk’s Starlink and global peers like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and other satellite communication companies back an administrative allocation of satcom spectrum.

With battle lines between terrestrial players and satellite aspirants clearly drawn, Trai’s marathon open-house discussion stretched for several hours and saw telcos Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel banding together and speaking in unison about the need for a level-playing field as India works out the norms for satcom spectrum.

Jio, which has made a case for the auction of satellite spectrum, on Friday said it is “not afraid of competition” but that ‘same services same rules’ must apply.

The Mukesh Ambani-led firm had approached a retired Supreme Court judge for a legal opinion, which says that Trai’s consultation paper on spectrum allocation for satellite communications seems to have completely sidestepped the issue of level-playing field with ground-based telecom networks. Musk’s Starlink and other global peers like Amazon’s Project Kuiper back an administrative allocation of satcom spectrum.

During the open house discussion, Parnil Urdhwareshe, Director, Starlink Satellite Communications, said Indian users want satellite broadband services and these “intelligent consumers” have the right to choose an operator who will provide them with an affordable, high-quality service.

Starlink prices for any country are readily available on its website, and it is proud of making satellite broadband affordable for users who have so far been unserved, he pointed out.