The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) witnessed intense discussions on Friday as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel clashed with satellite companies, including Starlink and Amazon, over spectrum allocation norms for the satcom sector.
The open house, which stretched over six hours, brought telecom and satellite industry stakeholders to debate key issues surrounding the regulatory framework, pricing, and level-playing-field policies.
Reliance Jio and Airtel called for a competitive auction system for satellite spectrum allocation, arguing that equal conditions should apply across "substitutable services." Ravi Gandhi, representing Reliance Jio, highlighted that telecom operators operate in a hyper-competitive market and called for a spectrum auction or an auction-based licensing system.
Bharti Airtel’s Chief Regulator Officer, Rahul Vatts, echoed these sentiments, emphasising the need for balanced policies that consider significant investments by terrestrial players.
Conversely, Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper advocated for an administrative allocation model, citing that satellite spectrum is shared and that auctions could harm the satcom ecosystem. Starlink’s Parnil Urdhwareshe countered claims of “predatory pricing” by highlighting Starlink's transparency and affordability in 113 markets, and argued that Indian consumers should have the right to affordable satellite broadband.
Amazon suggested a spectrum fee structure based on a percentage of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) and proposed a 20-year assignment period to support industry stability.
As India’s satcom landscape rapidly expands, TRAI faces a complex task in shaping policies that balance innovation, investment, and access, especially as satellite services grow in importance for bridging digital divides in underserved regions.
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