Jio asks Trai to review consultation paper on satellite spectrum

Reliance Jio has written to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) seeking a review of the consultation paper on satellite spectrum issued last month, saying that it ignored the telecom department's terms of reference specifying a level-playing field with terrestrial networks.

In the letter seen by Mint, Jio's head of regulatory affairs has said that the consultation paper has completely overlooked the critical issue of ensuring level-playing field between satellite-based and terrestrial access services. Therefore, stakeholders will not be able to adequately consider and provide relevant inputs to Trai, undermining the fairness of recommendations and the Government of India's intent to promote balanced competition, Jio said.

‘Recommendations vulnerable to legal challenges’

“This deviation makes the consultation paper and the consequent recommendations vulnerable to legal challenges, particularly since it fails to address the issues outlined in the DoT's reference, such as ensuring level playing field,” the letter noted.

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“Both auction and administrative assignment methods should remain open for stakeholders input, with due consideration given to competitive fairness,” it added.

Jio said that the consultation paper had leaned towards administrative spectrum assignment, which was against the new telecom law that states auction as the default method for assigning spectrum for commercial services.

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Jio has maintained that satellite communication services are direct competition to terrestrial services and, therefore, spectrum should be auctioned. However, the new telecom law has put satellite broadband communications under the First Schedule, which exempts the spectrum required by the service to be offered through auction. 

Satellite communications providers such as Bharti-backed OneWeb Eutelsat, Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper have backed direct allocation outside of auction on several grounds, including global precedents.

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