Trai paves way for spectrum assignment to satcom companies

NEW DELHI: India has got a step closer to having satcom, with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) recommending the introduction of new authorisation - "satellite communication network (SCN)" under the Telecom Act, 2023, and assignment of spectrum to SCN authorised entities, which will supply capacity to telcos and not directly serve consumers.Proposed to be authorised for a maximum duration of 20 years with a provision for renewal for up to 20 years, these entities will be able to provide this network as a service (SCNaaS) to eligible service providers.Three entities - Sunil Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio and Elon Musk's Starlink - are waiting to start satcom in India. As each one of them individually gets security clearance, the path has been cleared for the next step of seeking assignment of spectrum with Trai recommendations.People in the know say Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio are likely to get the nod before Musk due to security concerns and the tech trillionaire's recent outbursts on X aimed at Ambani.Trai recommendations issued on Thursday said: "Fixed satellite service (FSS), mobile satellite service (MSS), direct-to-device (D2D) services via satellite using MSS, and D2D services via satellite using IMT (international mobile telecommunications) spectrum should be permitted through the satellite communication networks of SCN provider authorised entities. SCN provider authorised entities may seek appropriate satellite spectrum (FSS and MSS) from the central govt and/ or utilise the spectrum assigned to partnering service providers for providing satcom network.