Jio Platforms has received the approval of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) – its final go-ahead – to launch satellite communication (satcom) services in the country.
The approval comes even as global majors such as Elon Musk-owned Starlink and Amazon Project Kuiper await regulatory clearances to launch their services in the country. Bharti Enterprises-backed Eutelsat OneWeb is the only other company to have already received all necessary clearances.
Once the spectrum allocation is done by the government, Jio Platforms will be providing the satellite internet services with its joint venture partner, SES – a Luxembourg-based satcom company.
According to officials, with global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS) and internet service provider (ISP) licences, any activity related to space communication requires authorisation from IN-SPACe. The authorisation is required for a wide range of activities, including launching, operating satellites, establishing communication, space transportation systems, etc.
Meanwhile, all major satcom firms such as OneWeb India, Nelco, Hughes, among others, through the Indian Space Association (IspA), have urged the department of telecommunications (DoT) to expedite the spectrum allocation process.
The telecom Act has cleared the way for allocation of spectrum for satellite communication services through the administrative route. However, allocation can still not be done as the rules governing it are yet to be framed.
For framing of the rules, the DoT is expected to consult the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Industry executives say there is an opportunity cost attached and the delay in spectrum allotment is affecting the operators.
“As the process is taking time, spectrum for satcom should be assigned to operators on a provisional basis. They may provide an undertaking that the spectrum charges would be applicable from the date of assignment,” Anil Kumar Bhatt, director general of IspA, said.
“This will ensure that operators can launch their services immediately. And hence, they would not lose on opportunity cost,” Bhatt added.
In the meantime, the DoT can consult Trai and come up with modalities such as spectrum pricing, licensing terms, etc, industry executives said.
Going by the standard procedure, after the DoT sends its reference to Trai, the regulator will start stakeholders’ consultations, which will take at least six months. On the basis of this, operators will be able to launch the services only by next year.
Besides pricing, the DoT is currently discussing the revenue share licence fee and spectrum usage charge for such services. Whether the services should be treated on a par with very small aperture terminal (VSAT) service licence is another issue which needs to be fixed.
VSAT is a satellite communication technology useful for providing data connectivity to remote and inaccessible locations where there is limited or no terrestrial connectivity. Currently, ATMs use VSAT services as well as enterprises are using satellite internet.
Last year, Jio demonstrated India’s first satellite-based gigabit Internet service JioSpaceFiber, which can potentially be used to provide high-speed internet services to inaccessible areas in the country. The company has connected four remote locations with JioSpaceFiber — Gir in Gujarat, Korba in Chattisgarh, Nabarangpur in Odisha, and Jorhat in Assam, using the spectrum on trial.
Similarly, OneWeb’s earth station gateways in Mehsana, Gujarat, and one near Chennai are ready for services.
Currently, Eutelsat OneWeb’s satellite communications network features more than 630 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) segment. On the other hand, SES has over 70 satellites in medium earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO).