Telecom regulator TRAI Chairman PD Vaghela said India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication to attract investments in the sector.
He said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India will soon make recommendations to make permissions required for satellite communication from various ministries (Information and Broadcasting, Space and Telecom) to enhance ease of doing business in the sector.
PD Vaghela said, “I think India will be the first to handle the issue of auctioning the space base spectrum. We are working on it.” He also said TRAI has received a reference from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for the spectrum required to be put to auction and associated aspects of satellite-based communication.
“But it should not kill the sector. That is very important. Any system that we will be bringing is to actually encourage and promote investment in the sector, and not increase any burden. I mean, that is the biggest challenge which we have, and we are conscious of that fact,” he added.
TRAI is yet to come up with a consultation paper on the spectrum auction as per the standard process meant for satellite communication. The regulator is in discussion with experts and regulators worldwide for a suitable model and the consultation paper will be floated after those discussions are over.
