PHD Chambers seeks revision of Trai satcom paper for level playing field

After Reliance Jio, the industry body PHD Chamber of Commerce has also demanded revision of telecom regulator Trai's consultation paper on rules for satellite spectrum allocation, alleging that it misses questions around the level playing field between Satcom and terrestrial networks.

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry Executive Director Ranjeet Mehta, in a letter to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Chairman AK Lahoti, said that not addressing the issue of a level playing field between terrestrial and satellite-based communication service violates Article 14 of the Constitution.

"The absence of questions addressing the issue of a level playing field in the consultation paper prevents many stakeholders from considering these concerns and providing crucial inputs to Trai.

"Moreover, not addressing the concerns to ensure a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial access services during the consultation process may violate Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, resulting in arbitrary discrimination and undermining the right to equality," Mehta said.

On September 27, 2024, Trai floated a consultation process to explore methodology and price for assigning spectrum to satellite companies to provide calling, messaging, broadband and other services in the country.

The decision on spectrum price and allocation methodology will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services from companies like Elon Musk-owned Starlink, Bharti Group-backed OneWeb, and Jio Satellite Communications across India.

"We sincerely request Trai to issue a revised consultation paper that includes specific questions related to ensuring a level playing field," Mehta said.

Reliance Jio has also urged telecom regulator Trai to come up with a revised paper on spectrum allocation for satellite communication, saying that it ignores the key point of ensuring a level-playing field between satellite and terrestrial services.

However, Industry body Broadband India Forum has opposed Reliance Jio's demand to telecom regulator Trai to revise the consultation paper on Satcom spectrum rules.

Without naming Reliance Jio, Broadband India Forum (BIF) said that the argument for a 'level playing field' between satellite-based and terrestrial communication services is fundamentally flawed, demonstrating a profound misunderstanding of the technologies and the law.