As open house on satcom spectrum allotment looms, Jio JV partner SES keeps mum on views

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

India, a key global satellite player, SES — also the satellite JV partner of Reliance-backed Jio Platforms (JPL) — has been conspicuously absent in the ongoing consultation process. Luxembourg-based SES, in an earlier consultation undertaken last year by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), had strongly opposed any auctioning of satellite spectrum and like all global satellite players such as Amazon, OneWeb, Starlink, Telesat and Hughes, had backed allotment via the administrative route. This was in stark contrast to the views of its JV partner.

The RIL unit, in its latest Trai submission, has strongly pushed for allotment of satellite spectrum via auctions. JPL has underlined the criticality of the `same service, same rules’ principle for allotment of satellite spectrum, claiming that its absence would trigger imbalanced competition, impacting investments, service quality and foster monopolistic and anti-consumer practices. Last year, Mukesh Ambani-owned JPL and SES had formed a 51:49 joint venture to deliver broadband services in India through satellites, entering a space where the likes of Sunil Mittal-led OneWeb, Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon and the Tatas have already announced forays.

“SES’s complete absence from Trai’s current consultation process is somewhat baffling as it had previously taken a strong stand against auctioning of satellite spectrum and had favoured the administrative route as is the international practice,” a senior satellite industry executive told ET. A global SES spokesperson declined to offer comment to ET’s queries. At press time, queries to Reliance Jio and JPL remained unanswered.