Trai invites views on licence, spectrum allocation for aircraft-to-ground data communication

Trai has fixed August 17 as the last date for submission of comments and August 24 for counter-comments on the paper.

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday issued a supplementary consultation paper to seek stakeholders’ views on the provision of licence and spectrum allocation methods for data communication between aircraft and ground stations.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has floated a consultation paper on "Data Communication Services between Aircraft and Ground Stations for services provided by organisations other than the Airport Authority of India."However, after detailed consultation, it could not get inputs on certain aspects, such as those related to service licence for the provision of data communication services between aircraft and ground stations, methodology for spectrum assignment and spectrum charging mechanism, Trai said in the paper.

"Accordingly, the authority has decided to issue this supplementary consultation paper to seek inputs from stakeholders on such aspects. "In this regard, a supplementary consultation paper on 'Data Communication Services Between Aircraft and Ground Stations Provided by Organisations Other Than Airports Authority of India’ seeking additional inputs from stakeholders has been placed on Trai’s website," the regulator said.

Two organisations — Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautique (SITA) and Bird Consultancy Services (BCS) — facilitate data communication between aircraft and ground staff using the spectrum assigned to them. When these entities approached the Department of Telecom (DoT) for permission to add more locations for them to provide their service, the department realised that the operations were not captive (internal use) in nature, and there could be a commercial angle, according to the paper.

The two organisations have not received any authorisation from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for providing data link services. In a communication to Trai, DoT last year recommended the setting up of a framework for a suitable regulatory regime for data communication services between aircraft and ground stations provided by organisations other than the Airports Authority of India.

Trai has also sought views on the eligibility criteria of entities providing, such data communication services, spectrum allocation methodology and rollout obligations. Trai has fixed August 17 as the last date for submission of comments and August 24 for counter-comments on the paper.