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Reliance Jio Infocomm, India’s largest telecom operator, has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to auction spectrum for direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services instead of allocating it administratively, Press Trust of India reports. The appeal comes as operators remain divided on how India should allocate spectrum for next-generation satellite services.
Spectrum split: The proposal has deepened the divide among telecom operators over the 6 GHz band, a critical resource for 5G and future 6G networks, according to News18. Jio and Vodafone Idea want the entire 1.2k MHz band allocated through auctions, while Bharti Airtel has sought to defer the process, citing limited ecosystem readiness and potential interference with satellite signals.
Experts speak: “Internationally, satellite spectrum is not auctioned in any country,” Pawan Kumar Garg, former advisor to the government of India and telecommunications expert, told EnterpriseAM MENA <> India. “It is neither logical nor technically appropriate to equate terrestrial mobile networks with satellite systems, even for D2D services.”
Appeasing foreign investors: Garg told us that the government needs to factor in the interest of the foreign investors. “If the government were to shift to auctions, foreign operators like Starlink or OneWeb would inevitably rethink their investment,” he noted.
New push from Jio: Jio has also renewed its push in a fresh submission to TRAI this week, asking the regulator to explicitly include both the L-band and S-band in the upcoming consultation on D2D services and to “treat them entirely on par with IMT spectrum” for pricing and assignment, Moneycontrol reports. Jio’s deep coffers would give it an advantage in auctions over its domestic and international rivals whereas it may not have a significant influence over the allocation through administrative process.
THE POLICY BACKDROP- The discussion comes amid TRAI consultations under the Telecommunications Act 2023, which permits administrative allocation for satellite spectrum, a provision Jio continues to oppose, arguing it could distort market access.
