Satellite spectrum, a high stakes game

The large players funny successful the outer connection assemblage successful India person been divided connected the contented of spectrum — whether it should beryllium auctioned oregon administratively allocated. As per a study successful this paper, Reliance Jio had earlier this period written to the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, arguing successful favour of auctioning the spectrum. In effect to the lawsuit being made for an auction, Elon Musk, the proprietor of Starlink, said successful a station connected X that it “would beryllium unprecedented, arsenic this spectrum was agelong designated by the ITU arsenic shared spectrum for satellites”. Satellite spectrum has “no nationalist territorial limits” and is overseen by the International Telecommunications Union. Sunil Mittal, chairperson of Bharti Enterprises, who has a involvement successful OneWeb, has precocious said that successful bid to work retail customers, firms should bargain spectrum and beryllium taxable to the aforesaid conditions arsenic telecom operators. Bringing immoderate finality to the matter, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications, said a fewer days agone that spectrum for outer communications volition beryllium administratively allocated. This attack is welcome, and successful enactment with the signifier followed globally.

As per The Telecommunications Act 2023 the authorities tin delegate spectrum by administrative process for entries listed successful the First Schedule. This database of 19 items besides includes satellite-based services. In September, the telecom regulator had released a consultation insubstantial titled “Terms and Conditions for the Assignment of Spectrum for Certain Satellite-based Commercial Communication Services”. This had delved into the cardinal issues, and had sought manufacture inputs connected respective matters relating to frequence bands/ranges for assignment, rollout obligations, spectrum charges, timelines for processing applications, and connected however to code the contented of inefficient spectrum usage, among others.