Regulatory delays, testing may hold up satcom launch
NEW DELHI : Satellite communications, or satcom-based internet connectivity, may come to you later than expected. Industry stakeholders and close watchers said while satcom service providers are ready to launch their own services in India, multiple regulatory roadblocks and subsequent testing are almost certain to delay the launch of satellite internet beyond the end of this year—and could even stall its rollout until the end of next year.
Satcom services in the mainstream fold entail satellite operators that have launched and deployed satellite constellations in low-earth orbit (LEO). These satellites subsequently work in a relay formation to ensure that they cover the entire planet with their bandwidth.
As a result, satcom internet services have been pegged as one that can work even in extreme terrain—such as in flights, maritime activities, and in extremely dense forests or in high mountains. To deploy this, in December last year, erstwhile Union telecommunications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tabled the Telecommunications Bill, 2023, which passed the Parliament and became an Act.
The Act gave way for satcom services to start operating in India, with the government choosing administrative spectrum allocation for satellite services as the way forward since the spectrum used for satellite broadband relay is shared across various services. However, the erstwhile government failed to notify rules under the Act prior to the seven-phase elections that began on 19 April—leaving the allocation process in limbo.
“The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is now working towards floating a consultation process for the draft rules that will define how spectrum allocation would work under the Centre. Once this consultation is
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