The satellite communications (satcom) industry has reportedly urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to expedite the provisional allotment of satellite spectrum, a move that would enable the Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and the Reliance Jio-SES combine, which have government clearance to commercially launch satellite internet services in India.
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Satcom Industry Pushes for Action
Despite receiving the requisite licences and authorisations, including those from IN-SPACe and GMPCS permits from the DoT, these non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) operators remain unable to commence services due to pending frequency assignments. The NGSO operators are companies that offer satellite communications via low-earth orbit (LEO) and medium-earth orbit (MEO) constellations.
ISpA and BIF Call for Provisional Approvals
In separate letters addressed to DoT Secretary Neeraj Mittal, the Indian Space Association (ISpA) and the Broadband India Forum (BIF) stressed the need for urgent action. They proposed that companies be allowed to operate on a provisional basis by providing an undertaking that final spectrum charges, once determined by the government, would apply retroactively from the date of provisional allotment.
"Despite having the requisite licences and authorisations for provisioning of foreign satellite capacity in India, as well as the constellations and ground infrastructure in place, some non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite operators are still unable to launch commercial services in India due to lack of frequency assignment," ISpA stated in its April 16 letter, ETTelecom reported, saying it has reviewed the letters.
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Financial Impact and Investment Recovery
The association, which represents satellite and space firms including Eutelsat OneWeb, pointed out that delays are leading to financial losses and wastage of satellite resources, which typically have an operational lifespan of just 5–7 years.
According to the report, ISpA and BIF have not specifically named any satcom companies in their letters, but Eutelsat OneWeb and the Reliance Jio-SES combine are the only NGSO operators who have the statutory authorisations from Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite) licences from DoT to start commercial satellite internet services in India.
In its letter, ISpA reportedly said allowing NGSO-based operators to provide commercial services under provisional spectrum assignments would allow them to utilise their satellite and ground infrastructure, helping them to use and recover their investments.
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Underutilisation of Satellite assets
BIF echoed these concerns in its April 21 communication, urging the DoT to extend the scope of the October 2024 provisional spectrum rules to include NGSO licence holders. "We request the government to consider extending the scope of these provisional spectrum assignments to permit such operators to offer commercial services till regular assignments are done," BIF President T V Ramachandran wrote, according to the report.
"While (satcom) spectrum assignment and the pricing framework are under finalisation, the delay is resulting in underutilisation of satellite assets, imposing significant strain on the NGSO operators," Ramachandran added, as per the report.
Both associations noted that a precedent exists in the provisional allocation of E-band spectrum in 2022, reinforcing the viability of their proposal.
ISpA and BIF both emphasised the capital-intensive nature of the satellite communications sector, highlighting the high costs involved in manufacturing and deploying constellations. Accordingly, they believe it's critical for satellite operators to monetise their resources in a timely manner, especially since NGSO satellite resources have a limited life span.
"Allowing operators to undertake an early rollout of commercial satcom services, using provisional spectrum assignment, would enable them to put their ready satellite infrastructure in India to use and recover their investments," ISpA director general AK Bhatt was quoted as saying in the report.
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Awaiting TRAI's Say on Spectrum Pricing
The sector is currently in a holding pattern, as the government awaits recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding spectrum pricing and allocation methods. The satcom industry maintains that immediate provisional assignments would not only enable infrastructure utilisation and revenue recovery but also serve the public interest by accelerating digital inclusion.
