MoS Pemmasani said satcom should be harnessed to bridge last mile connectivity and digital divide in India

The comments came on the same day that Reliance Jio submitted an additional legal opinion to TRAI from a former SC judge on the contentious consultation paper on allocation of satellite communications.

This followed TRAI last month releasing a consultation paper to explore pricing and spectrum allocation methodology to satellite communications companies.

Amid the ongoing controversy over satellite spectrum allocation, Minister of State (MoS) for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani has now said that satellite communications should be seen as complementary to terrestrial networks like 5G and 6G.

According to Economic Times, MoS Pemmasani said that satellite communications should be harnessed to bridge the last mile connectivity and digital divide in India.

“5G and the future 6G combined with satellite communication services (can) connect both the earth and the sky. However, the result is not just to compete with terrestrial networks, but to complement them as we integrate existing 6G and 5G technology into our infrastructure,” Pemmasani said.

The MoS also called for promoting private-government partnerships to build resilient terrestrial and satellite communications networks, adding that satellite communications is a “transformative entity” that can connect every Indian household and village to the Internet.

Reiterating the government’s position, the minister said the new Telecom Act supports administrative allocation of spectrum.

Interestingly, the Labor Ministry’s comments came on the same day telecom operator Reliance Jio submitted a further legal opinion from former Supreme Court (SC) judge L Nageshwara Rao to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

According to reports, Rao opined that the regulator should have also sought comments from stakeholders on how to allocate satellite bandwidth and how to ensure a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial communications networks. The retired judge said TRAI breached its transparency obligations.by not seeking answers on these issues.

He even went on to say that TRAI had “completely sidestepped” the issue of level playing field, which in turn deprived stakeholders of an opportunity to provide their comments.

The legal opinion also pointed out that the list in Schedule I of the Telecommunications Act, which specifies the networks to which administrative spectrum can be assigned, was not “frozen” and could be changed from time to time.

This comes a month after Reliance Jio, in a letter, urged regulator TRAI to cancel the recently published consultation paper on the allocation of satellite telecommunications spectrum, saying the existing document “overlooks the critical point of ensuring” a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial services.

It followed TRAI, in September, launching a consultation document to explore pricing and spectrum allocation methodology to satellite communications companies. The paper sought comments on 21 points, including spectrum rate determination methodology, frequency bands for satellite communications services, duration of assignment and provisions for surrender of spectrum, among others.