Jio Pushes for Fair Satellite Spectrum Auction to Compete with Global Giants

Reliance Jio has reached out to Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, asking for the auction of satellite spectrum and for the regulator to revise its consultation paper on the topic. Jio wants to create a fair competition between satellite communication (satcom) and traditional mobile networks.

In a letter dated October 10, Jio pointed out that several global satellite networks, including Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, Eutelsat-OneWeb, and Telesat, along with its own partnership with Luxembourg’s SES, are interested in getting spectrum and market access rights in India. These satellite networks plan to offer mobility services that will compete directly with traditional terrestrial networks.

Jio emphasized that terrestrial networks acquire their spectrum through auctions for both mobile and fixed wireless services. The company argued that a transparent auction process for satellite services is necessary to ensure fair competition.

This letter follows another one sent to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman AK Lahoti a week earlier, in which Jio requested a review of the consultation paper on spectrum pricing, claiming that the issue of fair competition has been ignored. However, Jio mentioned that it has not received a favorable response from Trai.

The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which includes satcom companies like Oneweb, Nelco, Amazon, and Hughes, disagreed with Jio’s call for a level playing field, arguing that the request shows a misunderstanding of both the technologies involved and the law.

In its latest letter, Jio noted that even the reference sent by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to Trai mentioned the need for a level playing field, but Trai has overlooked this issue. Jio requested the minister’s help in ensuring that Trai addresses these concerns and that its recommendations on spectrum assignment policies promote fairness, transparency, and competition as outlined by the Telecommunications Act and Supreme Court rulings.

Jio also pointed out that while writing to Trai, the DoT did not set a specific method for spectrum assignment and left it open for discussion. Jio criticized Trai for suggesting that spectrum should be assigned based on a “first come, first served” basis without any solid reasoning.