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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
BIF claims telcos attempting to block entry of satellite services into India
The ongoing dispute between Indian telecom service providers and satellite communications (satcom) operators has further intensified, as the Broadband India Forum (BIF) — an association of Big Tech and satellite companies — has written a letter to the government accusing telcos of attempting to block entry of next-generation satellite services into India. BIF; whose members include Google, Meta, OneWeb, Hughes, Amazon, and Tata's Nelco; addressed the letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Secretary, Neeraj Mittal. The letter stated the telcos' claim of a "level playing field" are unfounded in the current context, based on inaccurate data, and incorrect in law. 'We respectfully urge that any request by the Association for review based on the misrepresented and flawed 'level playing field' argument and any other arguments made in their submission should be summarily dismissed,' reads the letter. This rebuttal from BIF comes in response to a letter by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to the government, in which it criticized the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) satellite spectrum pricing as 'unjustifiably low, non-transparent, and non-competitive.' COAI—which represents the country's three private telecom giants, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea—argued that TRAI's pricing would unfairly benefit satellite internet providers like Elon Musk's Starlink, to the detriment of terrestrial network operators. COAI warned that satcom services are becoming direct competitors to traditional telecom networks and alleged that TRAI failed to adequately incorporate inputs from local operators before finalizing its recommendations, which are currently under review by the telecom ministry. According to TRAI's proposal, satellite service providers would pay spectrum usage charges (SUC) equivalent to 4% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) or Rs 3,500 per MHz annually—whichever is higher. In addition, under existing DoT rules, satcom providers must pay an annual license fee of 8% of AGR. TRAI has also proposed an additional urban-area charge of Rs 500 per subscriber annually for satellite services.
Mint
12-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
Your building's digital infra will be rated. But who will pay?
A pitched battle has ensued between telecom operators and real estate developers over who should pay to get digital infrastructure in buildings rated and handle its maintenance, in the backdrop of a new digital connectivity rating system being prepared by India's telecom regulator. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is working on a framework wherein a standard method to evaluate digital connectivity inside properties—aimed at ensuring strong indoor mobile and internet signals—will be notified. Last month, the regulator released for consultation a draft manual for Assessment of Digital Connectivity under Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024. Also read | Why govt's Vodafone Idea stake will hasten telecom tariff hikes Telcos, represented by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), argue that property managers–read: real estate developers and owners–should bear the full cost and compliance burden, including maintenance and obtaining the building rating. On the other hand, real estate companies, represented by Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA), have asked Trai to remove these responsibilities from their scope, saying the infrastructure should be owned, operated, and maintained by the digital connectivity infrastructure providers themselves. COAI counts Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea as its members. APREA counts Anarock, Brookfield, DLF, BlackRock, Brookfield, DLF as its members. To be sure, poor in-building connectivity has become a growing concern for consumers, who often struggle with weak mobile signals and unreliable internet access inside homes, offices, and commercial complexes — despite strong coverage outside. The ratings will enable consumers to make informed decisions when selecting the area of their residence, offices, or at airports, and other areas. 'This is very important as far as the telecom quality is concerned," Trai chairman Anil Lahoti was quoted as saying by PTI in a recent interview. 'The provision of in-building solution inside the building premises will complement the network being provided outside by the telecom service providers." In its draft module, Trai said property managers will be responsible for application for ratings of buildings, documentation and compliance, maintenance of digital connectivity infrastructure, and consumer communication and tenant management. Digital connectivity rating agencies (DCRAs) will be registered with Trai and will evaluate and award ratings for property under the regulations. Disagreement's cause Who will pay for the ratings is what has caused the disagreement. 'Property managers are the primary beneficiaries of building ratings—gaining enhanced marketability, the ability to command premium rents, improved tenant retention—there is a compelling case for them to bear the costs associated with rating of buildings," the COAI told Trai in its submission on the draft module, adding that it should be incumbent upon the property manager to fund and execute the rating process while proactively securing and maintaining all necessary digital infrastructure—including provisions for telecom operators access—to achieve and sustain a certified rating. In fact, telecom operators want Trai to include in the framework that the responsibility for bearing the cost of establishing network infrastructure, power and associated equipment should rest with the property manager. Also read | Trai, telecom companies spar over data demand However, real estate developers want Trai to delete the clause that documentation and compliance is a responsibility of property managers. 'Property manager may not own the DCI (digital connectivity infrastructure) and may only facilitate in implementing a digital connectivity infrastructure within a building, owing to the various regulations associated with deployment of a Digital Connectivity Infrastructure," APREA said in its submission to Trai. 'Moreover, a Property Manager is essentially a person (Developer) and/or a Property Management firm which looks into account the various aspects of Building infrastructure including Civil, Electrical, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), Firefighting, Plumbing, Lifts, Security Managementetc., but may not possess the capabilities of complex telecom infrastructure architecture," it added. Assurance to consumers Telecom operators argued that better digital infrastructure and connectivity would give assurance to consumers while assessing property for purchase or use. 'This will help the Property Managers of the said building/premises to build moretrust with the consumers and also influence the consumer's choices," they said, adding that property managers can use the same to market their properties. As per the framework proposed by Trai, the buildings will be rated on diverse connectivity options, such as fibre optic networks, wifi, cellular connectivity and satellite broadband, based on their capability to provide seamless indoor and outdoor network coverage. Also read | Next-gen telecom tech to get ₹1,000-crore yearly R&D boost under telecom policy Even as Trai has proposed a framework, telecom operators want the regulator to form a committee consisting of representatives from academia, ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), department of telecommunications (DoT), telecom operators, etc, to advise on the matter related to proliferation, popularisation and adoption of rating framework. 'We reiterate our submission that the DCI implementation should be backed by the law. For instance, RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) Act does not cover DCI at present. Mandating digital connectivity inside the buildings and ensuring that this is available to all licensed Telecom Service Providers on non-discriminatory basis should be incorporated in the Model builder-buyer agreement prescribed by RERA for covering it under the jurisdiction of this Act and its enforceability by the RERA," Jio wrote in a separate submission to Trai on the subject. More disagreements Notably, telecom operators have also expressed concerns over compliance requirements in the draft framework proposed. In one of the rating criteria, Trai has given weightage to minimum download speed of 10 Mbps for 4G or 100 Mbps for 5G technology inside buildings. The telecom operators, however, have opposed the same stating that the speed metrics should be modified in accordance with an already stated criteria. 'For 4G, throughput equal to or better than 2 Mbps, successful file download test cases in percentage. For 5G, 100 MB size is to be downloaded on each selected test location within 5 minutes," Airtel said in its response to Trai. Continuing disagreements over the use of public wifi, telecom operators have also asked Trai to either remove the same from the criteria while assessing the ratings of the buildings or reduce its weightage. 'With advanced mobile technologies (4G/5G) providing good data speed, the very utility of using public Wi-Fi for data consumption is diminishing and the rating framework should not encourage any inefficiencies. Further, if mobile coverage is addressed inside buildings/premises, there will be no need left for users to latch to public Wi-Fi," COAI said. Also read | MoS Telecom asks India Post to make DIGIPIN self-financing model Among other things, telecom operators want Trai to implement the building ratings system in phases. For instance, certain buildings with high public footfalls such as airports, ports, railway stations, public transport stations, bus stations, large shopping complexes, industrial estates, major market areas, among others, can be asked to have rating compliance within two years of issue of the regulatory framework by TRAI or two years from obtaining occupancy certificate,whichever is later. In 2023, Trai had also submitted its recommendations to the government on 'Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity', to create an ecosystem for building of DCI as a part of any development activity. Trai has also released the regulation Rating of Properties for Digital Connectivity Regulations, 2024 in October last year to bring a framework for rating of properties for digital connectivity.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
No rollback of satcom recommendations, government to decide: Trai official
NEW DELHI: The telecom regulator's views were based on an extensive consultative process involving divergent views from multiple stakeholders, and could not be reconsidered, while it's for the government to take a final call, a senior regulatory official said. "We have duly followed the extensive and transparent consultative process with multiple stakeholders sharing divergent views. It is for the government to decide," a Trai official on the conditions of anonymity told ETTelecom, adding that "a level-playing field is out of question" in the current context. "Satellite communications or satcom is a complementary service to terrestrial network providers, with no question of a level playing field between the two. The ₹500 per subscription charge is aimed at enhancing coverage and encouraging space broadband providers to offer services across the country's rural landscape." Early this week, Delhi-based Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, in a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said that the watchdog has "underestimated the potential capacities of satellite networks" while possibly overstating those of terrestrial networks. "Incorrect assumptions have led to unjustifiably low spectrum charges for satellite services relative to terrestrial networks," COAI director general SP Kochhar added in his letter to DoT secretary Neeraj Mittal. However, Trai, citing a huge capacity variation between the two sets of players, strongly defended its move. "In our recommendation, we have clearly brought out that there is no case of level-playing field between the satellite service providers and terrestrial service operators because of the huge difference of capacity between them," the senior official said. "So, the capacity of a typical satcom service provider in terms of the internet capacity, is of the order of maybe 0.5 to 1 or 2 percent of the capacity of a typical large terrestrial service provider. So there is no question of level-playing field. It is a complimentary service." The telco lobby group said that the planned capacity of Elon Musk-owned Starlink and Jeff Bezos led-Amazon Kuiper are expected to surpass the current capacity of Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea combined. The idea behind prescribing ₹500 additional charge for urban subscription, according to the official, was to "encourage and nudge satellite service providers" to offer services in the country's rural areas as well. "They can divert their capacity to urban areas to some extent, but we want to nudge them to focus on rural and remote regions. This is the background under which the recommendation was made," he added. Meanwhile, satcom players backed the regulator, and said Trai's views were aimed at bringing affordable space broadband services to bridge the existing digital divide. Telecom watchdog recommended administrative allocation of satcom spectrum with a fee pegged amounting to 4% of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), for a five-year term, and that can be extended by another 2 years. The 4% AGR fee applies to both geostationary and non-geostationary satellite operators. Trai's proposal to subsidise user terminals for satellite operators through the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) fund further tilts the level playing field against the terrestrial operator, especially given that a majority of the DBN levy is contributed by telcos, Kochhar added in his letter. The regulatory official said that it has recommended facilitating a target set of users that the government might want to support in unserved or rural and remote areas. "The government can consider subsidising the cost of the terminal. It is for the government to make a decision based on a targeted group or category of users." Lately, the activity in India's nascent space-led communication services sector has intensified following the entry of spaceflight company SpaceX's satellite network Starlink, partnering with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal-driven Bharti Airtel.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
No question of review of satcom spectrum recommendation based COAI's reax: TRAI sources
New Delhi, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ) on Wednesday categorically ruled out any review of recommendations on satcom spectrum at this stage, based on industry body COAI 's claims. Sources in TRAI told PTI that the regulator has already given its recommendations to the government "after following the due consultation process exhaustively and transparently". All stakeholders were given adequate opportunity to represent their viewpoint during the consultation process, they said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo There is no question of review of the recommendations at this stage based on reactions of the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), TRAI sources said. The comments assume significance as COAI - whose members include Reliance Jio and Airtel - has approached the telecom department to raise concerns over TRAI recommendations on the satcom spectrum, claiming that "incorrect assumptions" have led to unjustifiably low spectrum charges for satellite services relative to terrestrial networks . Live Events In a letter dated May 29, COAI claimed that TRAI's recommendations are based on incorrect assumptions and that their implementation will hit the sustainability of terrestrial services, which form the foundation of India's digital infrastructure. COAI has urged the Department of Telecom (DoT) to form a committee to "undertake a comprehensive review of the recommendations in their entirety, ensuring the process is guided by principles of fairness, transparency, and equity and also give an opportunity to TSPs (telcos) to share their views regarding the same". The industry body argued that the recommendations provide a regulatory advantage to commercial Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites against terrestrial broadband service providers and, if accepted by the DoT in their present form, will undermine competition and create a non-level playing field. COAI said that TRAI's recommendations do not appear to address the most fundamental and contentious issue -- the lack of a level-playing field between terrestrial service providers and satellite operators serving the same market. "The said recommendations are based on incorrect assumptions and implementation of these recommendations will impact the sustainability of terrestrial services that form the foundation of India's digital infrastructure," the association had said. The telecom regulator last month suggested that satellite communication companies like Starlink pay four per cent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as spectrum charges to the government. Operators offering satellite-based broadband internet services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional Rs 500 per subscriber annually. No additional levy would be applicable for services in rural areas. COAI also argued that the recommendation of a spectrum charge at four per cent of AGR is without justification. "It is well known and TRAI would surely be fully aware that with the advent of next-generation NGSO broadband services -- including low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellations -- satellite services are now capable of directly substituting and competing with terrestrial fixed and mobile broadband networks," COAI said. PTI
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
'No question of review of satcom spectrum recommendation based on COAI's reactions'
New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ) on Wednesday categorically ruled out any review of recommendations on satcom spectrum at this stage, based on industry body COAI 's claims. Sources in TRAI told PTI that the regulator has already given its recommendations to the government "after following the due consultation process exhaustively and transparently". All stakeholders were given adequate opportunity to represent their viewpoint during the consultation process, they said. There is no question of review of the recommendations at this stage based on reactions of the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), TRAI sources said. The comments assume significance as COAI - whose members include Reliance Jio and Airtel - has approached the telecom department to raise concerns over TRAI recommendations on the satcom spectrum, claiming that "incorrect assumptions" have led to unjustifiably low spectrum charges for satellite services relative to terrestrial networks . In a letter dated May 29, COAI claimed that TRAI's recommendations are based on incorrect assumptions and that their implementation will hit the sustainability of terrestrial services, which form the foundation of India's digital infrastructure. COAI has urged the Department of Telecom (DoT) to form a committee to "undertake a comprehensive review of the recommendations in their entirety, ensuring the process is guided by principles of fairness, transparency, and equity and also give an opportunity to TSPs (telcos) to share their views regarding the same". The industry body argued that the recommendations provide a regulatory advantage to commercial Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites against terrestrial broadband service providers and, if accepted by the DoT in their present form, will undermine competition and create a non-level playing field. COAI said that TRAI's recommendations do not appear to address the most fundamental and contentious issue -- the lack of a level-playing field between terrestrial service providers and satellite operators serving the same market. "The said recommendations are based on incorrect assumptions and implementation of these recommendations will impact the sustainability of terrestrial services that form the foundation of India's digital infrastructure," the association had said. The telecom regulator last month suggested that satellite communication companies like Starlink pay four per cent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) as spectrum charges to the government. Operators offering satellite-based broadband internet services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional Rs 500 per subscriber annually. No additional levy would be applicable for services in rural areas. COAI also argued that the recommendation of a spectrum charge at four per cent of AGR is without justification. "It is well known and TRAI would surely be fully aware that with the advent of next-generation NGSO broadband services -- including low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellations -- satellite services are now capable of directly substituting and competing with terrestrial fixed and mobile broadband networks," COAI said. PTI
