The telecom operators Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone Idea are opposing the demand to allocate the satellite communication spectrum on an administrative basis, insisting that such an allocation must be done through auction only, Financial Express reported citing sources.
Notably, Bharti Airtel, OneWeb, Tata Communications, Indian Space Association (IsPA), Broadband’s India Forum (BIF) Telesat, Hughes, and BSNL amongst others have demanded that the spectrum auction must be done on an administrative basis.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday held an open discussion on the licensing framework for the allocation of satellite earth station gateway, according to the report.
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While Bharti Airtel and Intelsat have proposed that allocation must be done on a case-to-case basis, BSNL has suggested that allocation must be done through the online administrative process.
The telecom regulatory authority has asked the telecom players to submit their additional comments on the matter within the next five days. Satellite communications, which mostly functions on low-earth orbit (Leo) satellites, is a source of connectivity in hilly, disaster zones and inaccessible areas.
Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel became the first company in India to enter into the satellite communications services business through OneWeb. In February this year, Reliance Jio became the second telecom company to apply for the satellite services license, according to the Economic Times.
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