- The Indian DoT released draft rules for administrative spectrum allocation under the 2023 Act
- Rules set eligibility, charges, and conditions for spectrum assigned without auctions
- The draft excludes satellite broadband operators like Starlink and Jio's satellite internet
The Indian government's Department of Telecommunications has released draft rules governing the administrative allocation of spectrum under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, setting out eligibility criteria, spectrum charges and assignment conditions for services that receive airwaves without auctions.
However, the proposed framework does not cover satellite broadband operators such as Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite internet business, as the draft makes no reference to non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite operators that power low-earth orbit broadband services.
Instead, the rules largely cover traditional satellite communication services such as VSAT operators, DTH platforms, teleports, broadcasters and BSNL's satellite phone services, besides spectrum assigned to government entities such as BSNL and MTNL.
The omission means the satellite broadband industry is still awaiting a separate framework that will determine how spectrum is allocated and priced for Starlink-style internet services in India.
The DoT has invited stakeholder comments on the draft rules over the next 30 days before finalising the framework.
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