Satcom war is on among the Indian telecoms for 5G advantage

Fresh news coming from India is that its telecom giants are currently in a dispute over the issue of spectrum allocation for rolling out satellite communications (Satcom) in the country. All major telecoms of the country like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi).

According to the sources, both Jio and Vi want the spectrum to be auctioned, whereas, for now, Airtel is tight-lipped on the issue and has not taken any categorical stance on the issue. This issue is a pretty big one because ahead starts in satellite communication services are advantageous for telecom operators mainly because 5G services are dependent on it. it also means that the company’s Internet of Things (IoT) which is heavily dependent on satellites will also get a head start.

Reports indicate that Jio stated that any spectrum band which can be used for either mobile or other competing services should be assigned “strictly” through auctions. The company also stated that both the terrestrial, as well as satellite operators, should be allowed to participate in that auction.

“Further, assignment of even Ka/Ku/C band spectrum for Geo/Meo satellite must be done through auction only,” stated Jio in response to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). This statement was submitted by Jio on a consultation paper on licensing framework for satellite-based connectivity for low-bit-rate applications.

Coming to Vi, it stated that the commission needs to ensure the optimum utilization of a natural resource such as spectrum. The telecom same like Jio believes that it needs to be auctioned first before allocation for satellite-based services.

Currently, Bharti backed-OneWeb, as well as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Amazon, and now US’ Viasat are gearing up to launch Satcom services in India.

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