According to telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, India will distribute satellite internet spectrum through an administrative process.

According to Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Communications, India will administratively allot spectrum for satellite communication in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 2023. This is viewed as a setback for Reliance Jio, which has been advocating for a spectrum auction and a victory for companies like Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, and Kuiper, owned by Amazon. "Spectrum will be distributed administratively for satcom. that does not imply that spectrum is free of charge. During a press conference at the India Mobile Congress, Scindia stated, "The TRAI will determine what that cost is and what the formula of that costing is going to be." All around the world, satellite spectrum is distributed administratively. Thus, India is acting in the same manner as the rest of the world. On the other hand, if you do want to put it up for auction, you will be taking a unique approach to doing things. Spectrum used for satellites is shared spectrum. "How can you price spectrum individually if it's shared?" he said. The ups and downs in the industry have created a high-profile rivalry between well-funded competitors, placing Reliance Jio up against companies like Elon Musk's Starlink. Reliance Jio had written to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) earlier this month, objecting to the idea of allocating satellite spectrum administratively and advocating for an auction procedure. But in reaction to the advancement, "That would be unprecedented," Musk stated, "as this spectrum was long designated as shared spectrum for satellites by the ITU." On Tuesday, Sunil Bharti Mittal, the chairwoman of Bharti Enterprises, which holds a majority investment in OneWeb, stated that businesses wishing to provide satellite services to retail customers and in metropolitan areas must purchase spectrum and adhere to the same rules. "And those satellite businesses that wish to operate in cities and cater to individual consumers only have to pay the standard telecom license fees." They are subject to the same rules. They have the same requirements as telecom firms, including purchasing spectrum, paying license fees, and securing networks. of the telecom companies,” Mittal said.