New Delhi. Amid the tussle over the modalities of satcom spectrum allocation, Trai Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti on Wednesday said the consultation process is still on and the telecom regulator will consider all suggestions before submitting recommendations. The regulator’s comments come at a time when the standoff over satellite spectrum continues between Starlink Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk and the Indian giants.
“We have received a reference from the Department of Telecommunications,” TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti told reporters on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress (IMC). We have initiated the consultation process in response to the reference received from DoT and include the issues that have been referred to TRAI by DoT… The consultation process is ongoing. We have taken into consideration all the views received during the consultation process. On Reliance Jio’s demand for revising the TRAI consultation paper to ensure a level playing field between terrestrial and satellite players, the TRAI Chairman said, “Different stakeholders have different views on the consultation process. Raise demands. “We take into account all these views and opinions and take a considered approach.”
The world’s richest man Elon Musk has hit out at Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal’s demand for allocating spectrum used in satellite-based communications through auction, calling it unprecedented. Ambani’s telecom company Reliance Jio has stressed the need to allot such spectrum through auction to provide a level playing field to old telecom operators. Bharti Airtel chief Mittal also advocated bidding for such allocation on Tuesday. However, Musk-led Starlink is demanding administrative allocation of licenses for satellite-based communications in line with the global trend.
Starlink is planning to enter India, the world’s fastest growing mobile telephone and internet market. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also agreed with this stance and said that telecom waves will be given through administrative allocation instead of auction. Scindia said the Telecom Act, 2023 has placed the matter in ‘Schedule I’, which means satellite communication spectrum will be allocated administratively. That doesn’t mean the spectrum comes without cost, he said. TRAI will decide what that cost will be and what will be the formula for that cost. TRAI has already brought out a study paper on this. The Constitution has given the telecom regulator the power to decide what the administrative price is going to be. The Minister expressed confidence that TRAI will decide the best price that should be adopted, provided it is given in an administrative manner.
