Trai to revive talks on spectrum allocation

The telecom department will send new terms of reference to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) in a few weeks to begin a fresh round of consultations on allocation of spectrum for satellite broadband communications, a senior official said.

The previous consultation process would not be taken forward following the enactment of a new telecom law.

“The terms of reference are being finalized. The fresh reference will be sent in a few weeks. Trai’s fair transparent consultation process will be followed. It will give its recommendations on the mechanism of allotment, the frequencies and the pricing, among other things,” the official said, asking not to be named.

“Trai has returned the previous reference in light of the new law and discussions with the industry have taken place,” the official added. The government enacted the Telecommunications Act 2023 in December where it added satellitebased communication services to the category of services that would be given spectrum without going through auctions.

Trai began consultation on allocation methodology for satellite spectrum in 2022 and held several rounds of consultations including an openhouse discussion last year but did not issue any recommendation. It sought views on whether auction should be the mechanism for airwave allocation for satellite-based communication services. With the new telecom law being enacted the consultation became infructuous.

“The fresh consultations will also address the element of level playing field,” the official said, referring to the rift between industry participants on satcom services competing with services offered by terrestrial service providers or telcos.

Trai began consultations on allocation methodology for satellite spectrum in 2022 and held many rounds of it