Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has stated that satellite communication services will be rolled out in India once key players, including Elon Musk’s Starlink, comply with the requirements set by security agencies. In a recent interview, the Minister noted that the government will soon be ready to allocate spectrum to satcom providers, such as Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Jio SGS, once the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) finalises spectrum pricing.
Security and spectrum allocation
The Minister highlighted that the rollout hinges on two primary factors: security compliance and pricing.
"There are two issues that need to be addressed. One by the licence holders OneWeb, Reliance Jio, and Starlink, which is to comply with security clearances regarding international gateways, ensuring data remains in India, and so on," Scindia said.
The government has already issued provisional spectrum to these companies, allowing them to demonstrate their compliance capabilities to security agencies. "They are in the process of doing that, so they need to comply," Scindia said.
Regarding the financial aspect, the DoT and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are currently finalising the pricing for the spectrum. "Hopefully that should be resolved soon," Scindia said.
Regulatory discussions
There are currently several points of contention between TRAI and the DoT regarding satcom spectrum. Earlier this month, TRAI rejected several DoT suggestions, including a proposal to increase the annual spectrum fee from 4 per cent to 5 per cent and the removal of a Rs 500 per-connection fee in urban areas.
The DoT is expected to present its case to the Digital Communication Commission (DCC), the sector's top decision-making body. The DCC will then determine the next steps for spectrum pricing, which may eventually require Cabinet approval.
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