Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have been voicing against the administrative allocation of the spectrum that Bharti Airtel and other satellite communications (satcom) companies want. The issue is, Airtel, a major stakeholder of the satcom company OneWeb and other satcom companies want that spectrum for the satellite players should not be given through an auction but through administrative allocation. But Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) want that anyone who wants their hands on spectrum for communication services should get it from the auctions so that transparency can be maintained.
BSNL Proposed Online Administrative Process for Allocation of Spectrum
Bharti Airtel and Intelsat, a global satellite communications services company have requested the government to allocate spectrum to the satcom players on a case-to-case basis. At the same time, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has requested an online administrative process for the allocation.
The stakeholders are also submitting additional recommendations to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). This will help the regulator in submitting the final recommendations for the 5G spectrum auctions to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
While it might look a little unfair to the terrestrial network service providers if the satcom players got the spectrum on an administrative basis, it is important for the government and the sector regulator to hear the voice of satcom players too. Satcom players are going to make a major difference when it comes to reaching rural areas with internet connectivity.
Satcom is only at the verge of starting in India and thus it is important to give the industry a fairground and an environment where they can grow.
Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea believe that the spectrum which is scarce in nature and can be used for providing communication services should be given via auctions to everyone. This will ensure that transparency is maintained and no company is getting an unfair advantage. Reliance Jio is also stepping into the satcom space and has already applied for the global mobile personal communication by satellite services (GMPCS) license with the Department of Telecommunications.
