TRAI open house witnesses telecom giants and satcom players debate over spectrum norms

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was privy to an intense discussion on Friday when Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel clashed with satellite companies, including Starlink and Amazon, over spectrum allocation norms for the satcom sector. The open house stretched over six hours, and brought telecom and satellite industry stakeholders to debate key issues surrounding the regulatory framework, pricing, and level-playing-field policies.

While Reliance Jio and Airtel called for a competitive auction system for satellite spectrum allocation, they argued 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.

Echoing similar sentiments, Bharti Airtel’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Rahul Vatts emphasised the need for balanced policies that consider significant investments by terrestrial players.

Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, on the other hand, 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.