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Monday, December 18, 2023

SATELLITE BASED TELCOS MAY GET WITHOUT AUCTION .. Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com Dec 18 2023

 


Sources told TOI that the draft of telecommunication bill proposes that space spectrum should not pass through the process of auction, and should rather be allotted administratively as given to government agencies, state-owned BSNL and MTNL, and certain other classified entities.


The bill is likely to be tabled in Parliament soon. Giving the list of ‘certain satellite-based services’ where spectrum be allotted administratively, the bill lists them out as, “teleports, television channels, Direct-To-Home, Headend In The Sky, Digital Satellite News Gathering, Very Small Aperture Terminal, Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellites, National Long Distance, International Long Distance, Mobile Satellite Service in L & S bands.”


In its submission to Trai, Jio has opposed administrative allocation, and claims that it will give ‘unfair advantage’ to satellite companies. Jio said an auction “guarantees a level-playing field, and a fair and equitable environment for space-based and terrestrial service providers, fostering healthy competition and contributing significantly to national growth…”


However, those seeking administrative allocation have a different argument. Airtel argued that “auctioning the satellite spectrum and creating an exclusiveness will create barriers for competition as competitors may block access to it by bidding and winning partial or full spectrum in spite of having no such global allocation, and make satellite systems redundant”.


Musk’s SpaceX also pitched for “well-designed administrative” approach. “SpaceX cautions… against an exclusionary auction-based assignment mechanism that ignores the technical requirements of these systems in favour of a fractured or exclusionary method that restricts both the deployment of service as well as potential for positive competition and consumer choice.”

British satellite company Inmarsat, owned by US company Viasat, said satellite spectrum-orbital resources are a “globally shared public good” and added that “there is no precedent” of spectrum auctions for satellite.


Amazon also pointed out “inappropriateness of spectrum auctions for satellite-based communications” and said it would have “multiple and specific negative impacts” that should be avoided. “Auctioning spectrum for satellite services would impose an artificial restriction on the effective sharing mechanism that is the norm in satellite industry… an auction would unequivocally result in a fragmentation of available spectrum and limit the number of operators that could potentially access the same spectrum and offer much-needed connectivity.”

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