Trial satcom broadband services soon as DoT provisionally allocates satellite spectrum to eligible players for six months

Satcom

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved provisional satellite spectrum allocation to eligible players for six months, allowing Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Reliance Jio’s satellite arm, Orbit Connect India, to test their services.

As per an official notification issued on October 10, companies with a DoT licence and an In-Space authorisation certificate will be eligible for this provisional spectrum allocation. So far, OneWeb and the Jio-SES partnership have received the necessary approvals.

Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s project Kuiper are yet to obtain the Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite Services (GMPCS) licence and a separate approval from In-SPACe for NGSO constellation, thereby making them ineligible to receive spectrum.

“Period of validity of provisional spectrum assignment: up to 6 months or till compliances related to security and technical conditions are completed and demonstrated by the Licensee whichever is earlier,” as per the notification. The order will come into effect from October 21.

As per the notification, the provision spectrum will allow eligible companies to demonstrate compliance with all security and technical conditions.

The notification clarified that while eligible companies will be allowed to offer services to consumers during the testing phase, they cannot charge for them as a commercial rollout is not yet permitted.

However, the number of customers they can serve during the trial period is not limited, allowing for extensive testing.

The department said the data generated during the security compliance period must be stored within India and the licensee must ensure such data's security, secrecy and privacy.

“The Licensee shall also share the server/ data center location and possession details thereof to DoT. The Licensee will not share the data generated during operations with anyone except LEAs without explicit permission of DoT. All LEAs shall have right to inspect and seek data from the deployments of the Licensee/ terminals,” it added.

The department said that those seeking provisional spectrum need to submit a ​​consolidated report on the deployment details of the user terminals at the end of the provisional spectrum assignment.

The telecom department previously allocated a demo spectrum to OneWeb for 90 days to test its network capabilities.

Full-spectrum allocation for commercial use is expected to follow after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) provides recommendations on pricing and other vital modalities.

The notification comes amidst an ongoing tussle between Reliance Jio and other satellite communication (satcom) players. Last week, Jio wrote to TRAI requesting a revision of the consultation paper on satellite spectrum. They argued that it overlooks the critical issue of ensuring a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial networks.

Jio also raised concerns about the regulator’s inclination toward administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, advocating for an auction-based approach instead. Vodafone Idea also supports spectrum auctions, as technological advancements mean satellite and terrestrial services will increasingly compete.

The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has also called for a revision of the consultation paper on satellite spectrum, arguing that the current version fails to ensure a level playing field with terrestrial networks and ignores the telecom department’s terms of reference.

On September 27, 2024, TRAI issued a 91-page consultation paper seeking industry feedback on a range of issues, including the frequency bands to be assigned to satellite companies for data communication and Internet services, pricing models, the maximum spectrum assignment period, and concerns about potential interference from mobile networks.

The consultation paper aims to clarify the methodology of spectrum allocation, the frequencies to be used, the pricing models, and the terms and conditions satellite operators must meet, particularly regarding national security.

TRAI has asked for comments on which frequency bands should be assigned to non-Geostationary orbit (NGSO)- based Fixed Satellite Services for providing data communication and Internet services. It also seeks input on the frequency bands and ranges for Geostationary Orbit (GSO) and NGSO-based Mobile Satellite Services for providing voice, text, data, and Internet services.

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