The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to make a decision next week regarding the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for the establishment of satellite earth station gateways. The Trai had suggested a separate pan-India license for setting up these gateways, which should not fall under the unified license. As per Trai’s proposals, license holders for satellite earth station gateways should pay a token fee and provide their services only to licensed firms like telecom operators, without directly offering any telecom or broadcasting services to consumers. Trai has also recommended that no spectrum should be assigned to these license holders as they won’t be providing communication services to end-consumers.

The DoT had sought recommendations from Trai on the licensing framework for satellite earth station gateways in September 2021. The current regime requires licensees to establish their own gateways for providing satellite-based communication services. However, with the emergence of new generation satellites like low earth orbit and medium earth orbit (LEO/MEO), which operate through narrow beams, multiple gateways will be needed to control a large number of beams.

The DoT stated that the current licensing conditions may limit the establishment of gateways for rendering satellite services, resulting in higher capital and operational expenditure. In light of this, the DoT aims to explore the possibility of a licensing framework for the independent establishment of gateways by satellite constellation operators or other entities.

Satcom services are expected to become more prevalent in the future, prompting the government to develop regulatory policies for the sector. Companies like OneWeb, Reliance Jio’s joint venture with SES, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Starlink, Viasat, and the Tata-Telesat combine are preparing to enter India’s fast broadband-from-space services segment. According to an EY-ISpA report, India’s space economy is projected to reach $13 billion by 2025.

Additionally, Trai is conducting a consultation on spectrum allocation for satellite communication. While some satellite communication companies advocate for spectrum to be allotted without auctions, telecom companies like Jio and Vodafone Idea prefer allocating it to the highest bidder. Bharti Airtel, on the other hand, does not support auctions for different reasons than satellite communication companies.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is expected to make a decision next week regarding the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for the establishment of satellite earth station gateways. The Trai had suggested a separate pan-India license for setting up these gateways, which should not fall under the unified license. As per Trai’s proposals, license holders for satellite earth station gateways should pay a token fee and provide their services only to licensed firms like telecom operators, without directly offering any telecom or broadcasting services to consumers. Trai has also recommended that no spectrum should be assigned to these license holders as they won’t be providing communication services to end-consumers.

The DoT had sought recommendations from Trai on the licensing framework for satellite earth station gateways in September 2021. The current regime requires licensees to establish their own gateways for providing satellite-based communication services. However, with the emergence of new generation satellites like low earth orbit and medium earth orbit (LEO/MEO), which operate through narrow beams, multiple gateways will be needed to control a large number of beams.

The DoT stated that the current licensing conditions may limit the establishment of gateways for rendering satellite services, resulting in higher capital and operational expenditure. In light of this, the DoT aims to explore the possibility of a licensing framework for the independent establishment of gateways by satellite constellation operators or other entities.

Satcom services are expected to become more prevalent in the future, prompting the government to develop regulatory policies for the sector. Companies like OneWeb, Reliance Jio’s joint venture with SES, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Starlink, Viasat, and the Tata-Telesat combine are preparing to enter India’s fast broadband-from-space services segment. According to an EY-ISpA report, India’s space economy is projected to reach $13 billion by 2025.

Additionally, Trai is conducting a consultation on spectrum allocation for satellite communication. While some satellite communication companies advocate for spectrum to be allotted without auctions, telecom companies like Jio and Vodafone Idea prefer allocating it to the highest bidder. Bharti Airtel, on the other hand, does not support auctions for different reasons than satellite communication companies.