Jio opposed the proposal to allocate spectrum without auction, know what is the whole matter

Reliance Industries telecom company Jio has opposed the proposal to allocate spectrum to satellite communications companies (Satcoms) without auction. Jio said that spectrum auctions will enable Indian companies to compete with foreign satellite communications companies. In a letter to telecom regulator TRAI in this matter, the company said that the combined satcom bandwidth of Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper is more than the capacity created by all three major Indian telecom companies in the last few years. 

What did Jio say about foreign companies?

Jio said, “Spectrum allocation through auction will provide an opportunity for Indian companies to compete directly with foreign companies. Foreign companies have circumvented the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) priority list based on first come, first served and have planned their group. ” The company said that in the absence of clarity and certainty regarding spectrum allocation/priority, 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 the Telecom Act-2023 talks about allocating spectrum to satcom companies through administrative arrangements without auction. The reason for this is that the radio waves allocated to satellite companies are considered a shared spectrum and it is believed that it is not technically possible to allocate a separate ‘frequency’ 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 the process is completed, 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 process is completed, they will get the license.