Broadband India Forum Urges Indian Government To Expedite Launch Of Satcom Services
2025-04-25T08:05:12Z
The Broadband India Forum (BIF) urged the Indian Government to allow satcom companies with proper approvals to commence satcom services.
The post Broadband India Forum Urges Indian Government To Expedite Launch Of Satcom Services appeared first on MEDIANAMA.
The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) urging the Government to allow satellite communication (satcom) companies with proper approvals to commence services with provisional spectrum allocation. The organisation, which features members from the satellite industry such as Amazon, OneWeb, and Viasat, says satellite connectivity holds promise for bridging the digital divide by enabling high-capacity, low-latency connectivity in remote, inaccessible, and unserved regions.
In its letter (as reviewed by MediaNama), BIF explains that permission for commercial service launch would “facilitate faster rollout, ensure effective utilisation of resources, and support broader national priorities—without impacting the Government’s revenue interests.” Notably, BIF is not the only organisation to urge the commercial commencement of satcom services. According to an Economic Times report, the Indian Space Association (ISpA) has also sent in a letter to the DoT making the same request.
Key details of the letter:
BIF mentions that the DoT has already issued guidelines in October 2024 for provisionally assigning spectrum to enable companies that operate Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) constellations to show compliance with security and technical compliance. It urges the Government to extend to scope of this provisional assignment, adding that the absence of frequency allocation, and the resulting delay in spectrum rollout, is a significant opportunity cost for both potential satcom customers as well as the industry.
It mentions that certain companies already have authorisation from both DoT and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), and have also successfully deployed global satellite constellations and have commenced commercial operations in numerous countries.
BIF says that the Government can ask authorised satcom players to provide it an undertaking that they commit to paying spectrum charges from the date on which they begin operations. Within this undertaking, the companies must also mention that they will share the satcom spectrum they are using with other operators.
This can help the Government secure revenue from the spectrum charges it would levy on these players while it decides its final policy framework.
What is happening around satcom spectrum allocation?
In September last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a consultation paper on the terms and conditions for the assignment of spectrum for satellite-based communication services. During the consultation process, terrestrial telecom companies— Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) pushed for the regulator to consider level playing field issues when framing recommendations for spectrum allocation. To ensure that the satcom players do not adversely impact the investments of traditional telcos, TRAI should base spectrum prices on how the satcom player will use it.
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Airtel defined certain satcom service areas— like satcom use in rural/underserved areas, its use in defence and government services, etc.— as traditional use cases of satellite connectivity, and said that the regulator could remove spectrum charges for such services. Meanwhile, Starlink (which has since partnered with Airtel and Jio) urged for the same spectrum charges irrespective of which market the service provider chooses to address. The regulator is yet to release its recommendations based on the same.
Why it matters:
While BIF has not outrightly mentioned which companies with proper authorisations can begin commercial satcom operations, Airtel-backed OneWeb and Jio partner SES are the two key companies that have made headway in this regard. OneWeb was reportedly in talks with the Indian defence forces and Union Ministries of Health and Education last year to show satellite internet use cases. In this context, permission to begin commercial launch could give these companies, who already have a stronghold in the terrestrial telecom sector, a headstart in the satcom space.
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