The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will consider all the inputs on the allocation of satellite spectrum before finalising its recommendations, chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said on Wednesday.
However, it is not considering withdrawing its consultation paper and coming out with a fresh one, as demanded by Jio, which wants the option of spectrum auctions to be included.
“We are receiving multiple views, suggestions, inputs during the consultation process as is always the case based on which we take a considered view,” Lahoti said on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress event.
“Whatever decision Trai takes comes out in the public domain,” Lahoti said.
Lahoti’s comments come a day after Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal joined peer Reliance Jio in advocating for auctioning of the satellite spectrum band for satcom companies looking to provide retail services in urban areas.
Starlink, along with other technology firms like Amazon, is opposed to the auction route.
However, the government has rejected the demand to auction the satcom spectrum. “Satellite spectrum across the world is administratively allocated. So, India is not doing anything different,” communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said.
“Much appreciated! We will do our best to serve the people of India with Starlink,” Starlink’s Elon Musk said in a post on X.
Earlier, he had said any decision to auction satellite spectrum would be unprecedented.
“We welcome the Minister’s unequivocal and clear statement on the allocation of spectrum for satcom. The satellite industry is now only awaiting the final allocation of spectrum for space at the earliest,” AK Bhatt, director general of the Indian Space Association (ISpA) said.
Gareth Owen, associate director at Counterpoint said, “satellite spectrum is typically not allocated by auction as the costs involved could severely impact the business case economics. Going by the administrative route will ensure that spectrum is divided equitably between qualified companies, allowing Starlink to enter the Indian market”.
With regard to satellite spectrum, Trai is exploring models for pricing which are linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of the companies and per-MHz quantity of spectrum held.
Charging the companies as a percentage of revenue earned would mean that the pricing model would be flexible and only aligned to the financial performance of the satellite operators. The other model being explored, which is on a per-MHz of spectrum held, is commonly used in other countries.
