Trai to restart consultations on allocation of satcom airwaves

livemint.com:

spectrum for satellite broadband communications, a senior official said, noting that the previous consultation process would not be taken forward in the light of enactment of the new telecom law. “The terms of reference are being finalized. The fresh reference will be sent in a few weeks.

Trai’s fair transparent consultation process will be followed. It will give its recommendations on the mechanism of allotment, the frequencies and the pricing, among other things," the official said, asking not to be named. “Trai has returned the previous reference in light of the new law and discussions with the industry have taken place," the official added.

The government enacted the Telecommunications Act 2023 in December where it added satellite-based communication services to the category of services that would be given spectrum without going through auctions. Trai had first begun the consultation on allocation methodology for satellite spectrum in 2022 and had held several rounds of consultations including an open-house discussion last year but did not issue any recommendations. The regulator had sought views on whether auction should be the mechanism for allocation of airwaves for satellite-based communication services.

With the new telecom law being enacted the consultation became infructuous. “The fresh consultations will also address the element of level playing field," the official said, referring to the rift between industry participants on satcom services competing with services offered by terrestrial service providers or telcos. Some parties including L&T, Tata Group, Nasscom, besides Bharti Group, Starlink and Amazon, have backed the non-auction route, while others including Reliance and Vodafone Idea have opposed direct