reliance Industries' telecom company Jio has opposed the proposal to allot spectrum to satellite communications companies (Satcoms) without auction. Jio said the spectrum auction will enable Indian companies to compete with foreign satellite communications companies. The company said in a letter to telecom regulator TRAI in this matter that the joint satcom bandwidth of Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper is more than the capacity created by all the three major Indian telecom companies in the last few years.
What did Jio say about foreign companies?
“Spectrum allocation through auction will provide an opportunity to Indian companies to compete directly with foreign companies,” Jio said. Foreign companies have disrupted the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) priority list based on first-come, first-served basis and have planned their own constellation,” the company said, adding that there is a lack of clarity and certainty in spectrum allocation/priority despite , No Indian company will ever be able to launch its own NGSO (Non-Geostationary Orbit).
Jio also rejected this argument
Let us tell you that in the Telecom Act-2023, it has been said to allot spectrum to satcom companies through administrative system without auction. This is because the radio waves allocated to satellite companies are considered a shared spectrum and it is not technically possible to allocate 'frequencies' separately to a satcom company. Jio also rejected the argument that satcom services would complement telecom services where there is no network coverage.
Starlink will have to follow all the rules
Let us tell you that Elon Musk's company Starlink is in the process of fulfilling all the requirements to start satellite internet service in India. After completion of the process, the company will get the license to start services in India. Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had recently said that Starlink will have to follow all the rules to get the license. He had said that once the entire process is completed, he will get the license.
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