By June, Satellite Internet Services Might be Introduced in India

Satellite internet may be available in Indian skies as early as June. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is finalising a series of recommendations regarding the cost and usage of satellite communications that have been in the works for almost two years. The introduction of a framework and the distribution of spectrum will pave the way for Elon Musk's Starlink, Sunil Bharti Mittal's Bharti Airtel, and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm to launch satellite internet services. Several media outlets have reported that the suggestions are almost complete. Because the proposals will include information on the revenue-sharing model of satcom services, the pricing and allocation of spectrum, and other relevant regulations, the regulator is taking its time.

 TRAI wants to swiftly submit the pricing and operational framework to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for approval with minimal opposition after it is released. TRAI may present its proposals in March, and the Digital Communications Commission is expected to adopt them with minimal modification following a brief consultation period. This will organise the auction procedure, which, including operator final testing, should take no more than two to three months. Satellite service providers should begin making money by June as well.

Why India’s Satcom Battle is Getting Intense?

Satcom uses satellites that link to a ground-based receiver that can provide data to gadgets like computers and cell phones. Between 2020 and 2022, India's space industry was liberalised to grant access to satellite infrastructure and spectrum. Reliance Jio was persuaded to enter into a cooperative venture with Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES in February 2022 by the prospect of these services. A month prior, Bharti Airtel and Hughes Communications India, its joint venture partner, had inked a distribution agreement with OneWeb in the United Kingdom. OneWeb was purchased by Eutelsat of France in September 2023. Because it owned all of OneWeb's India division, Airtel continued to be the largest shareholder of the newly established company after the purchase was completed. The third major rival in this market is Musk's satellite internet services company, Starlink. Due to the Centre's regulations, preorders were halted even though the service had briefly begun to receive security deposits from clients in preparation for a launch. Starlink has not yet received its Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) licence.

Pricing is the Key

At a press conference held during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 3, Union telecoms minister Jyotiraditya Scindia declared that all satcom operators "will be treated equally" and that no one will receive preferential treatment. Analysts and industry participants anticipate the implementation of satcom services to occur soon as well, but they stress that cost is a crucial consideration. While the Telecommunications Act guarantees administrative allocation, which should result in the TRAI framework being implemented shortly, T.V. Ramachandran, president of the Broadband India Forum, stated that nominal pricing is necessary to guarantee access to the greatest number of users who would otherwise remain unconnected. An executive of the Airtel-OneWeb partnership reportedly told the media that Bharti Airtel has been prepared with its services, to the point where it can launch its operations in a very short amount of time. While the company's satellite constellation and network are operational for enterprise use, regulatory uncertainty has only been impeding the sector.