Satcom Spectrum Assignment Rules To Be Finalised By Dec: TRAI

SUMMARY

Lahoti said that TRAI will refer to the global best practices, ITU rules and submissions made by the stakeholders before formulating the recommendations

While telcos have been demanding spectrum assignment via auction, the likes of Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper have been pitching for administrative allocation of satcom airwaves

In September, TRAI floated a consultation paper to explore the methodology and pricing for assigning spectrum to satcom companies

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti has reportedly said that the regulator will likely release its recommendations for spectrum assignment and pricing of satcom services by December.

“After the open house discussion, we analyse all the comments, counter comments, and (the) industry’s submissions. Then (we will) take two months to come up… so, sometime in December,” Lahoti told ET.

He also said that TRAI will refer to the global best practices, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) rules and submissions made by the stakeholders before formulating the recommendations.

This comes weeks after TRAI organised an open house discussion on satcom spectrum assignment, which was attended by representatives of terrestrial and non-terrestrial network operators.

The event saw terse interactions as telcos such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel called for allocation of satcom spectrum through an auction to ensure a “level-playing field” while Elon Musk-led Starlink and Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon’s Project Kuiper pitch for administrative allocation of satcom spectrum.

This follows communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia last month saying that spectrum for satellite services would be allocated administratively but at a “cost”, which will be decided by TRAI after due deliberations with stakeholders.

Earlier this month, Minister of State (MoS) for communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani also said that satcom should be seen as complementary to terrestrial networks such as 5G and 6G to bridge last-mile connectivity and digital divide in India.

It is pertinent to note that TRAI, in September, floated a consultation paper to explore the methodology and pricing for assigning spectrum to satcom companies.

The paper sought comments on 21 points including methodology for determining spectrum charges, frequency bands for the satellite communications services, duration of assignment, and provision for surrendering spectrum, among others.

The aftermath saw telecom operator Reliance Jio writing multiple letters to TRAI to rescind the consultation paper on satcom spectrum allocation, saying that the existing paper “overlooks the critical point of ensuring” level-playing field between satellite and terrestrial services.