Informist, Thursday, Jun 1, 2023
By Ayanti Bera
NEW DELHI - Satcom Industry Association India will continue to oppose the government's proposed plan to allocate satellite spectrum through the bidding process, with legal challenge being the last resort, Director General Anil Prakash told Informist in an interaction.
Several satellite industry bodies, including Satcom Industry Association India, have been advocating administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, which will allow even smaller players to participate fairly in the sector.
However, this is against the Department of Telecommunications' reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in September 2021, in which it had asked for recommendations on an auction-based allocation. The department had also asked the regulator to explore the feasibility of sharing auctioned spectrum among multiple service licensees.
Industry participants have since been engaged in talks with the government and TRAI over a period of time to make a case for administrative allocation of spectrum, a process followed the world over.
Prakash argued that administrative allocation ensures that spectrum resources are utilised efficiently and allows for fair distribution. "An auction-based approach may lead to exclusive allocation to powerful players, limiting access to smaller players, start-ups, and academia," he said.
At present, several large players, including Bharti Airtel-backed OneWeb and Tata Group's Nelco, have announced plans to launch space-based communication services in India.
Prakash argued that an exclusive auction-based allocation is technically impractical and detrimental to the industry's growth and competitiveness, adding that auctioning satellite spectrum would fragment the spectrum and exclude smaller players such as start-ups.
The Indian Space Association, another satellite industry body, had also highlighted that an auction method may widen the digital divide and enable hoarding by deep-pocketed players.
Satcom Industry Association also opposes the sharing of 28 Ghz or the "Ka-band" with telecom service providers such as Bharti Airtel Ltd and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. Telecom companies are backing the implementation of authorised shared access which will enable them to share the spectrum assigned to satellite communication operators.
"Sharing of the 28 GHz Ka-band with telecom service providers will cause potential hindrance to the growth of advanced satellite services," Prakash said. The industry is currently waiting for the telecom regulator to release its recommendations on satellite spectrum assignment, after floating a consultation paper earlier this year on the same.
In its response to TRAI's consultation paper, Satcom Industry Association has referred to Supreme Court judgments and constitutional principles, arguing that satellite spectrum falls under the public good doctrine and should not be allocated through auctions, Prakash said.
"SIA-India emphasises the need for fair and equitable treatment in spectrum assignment decisions, considering the revenue disparity between mobile operators and satellite operators," he added. End
Edited by Ashish Shirke
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