Spectrum

Union cabinet has approved refarming of 687 Mhz spectrum for mobile services and more will be done based on the study by committee of secretaries put in place by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday. Speaking at an event of industry body COAI, the minister said that mobile services need 2,000 Mhz of spectrum by 2030 and the cabinet decision takes the total quantum of radiowaves to 1,587 Mhz. "Yesterday's cabinet, we have approved refarming of 687 Mhz. Which means this takes us from 900 Mhz to 1,587 Mhz. 320 (MHz) will be released immediately, some by the end of next year and some by the end of 2028-29 which makes us ready for 2030," Scindia said at Digicom Summit 2025. He further said the government will ensure that the requirement of the industry is met and there are no hurdles in the digital telecom landscape of the country. "That leaves still a gap of roughly 300 (Mhz). So the ask is not over. The second round of this, Committee of

Airtel has cleared dues from 2012 and 2015 auctions earlier this year

Nokia said it will upgrade over 42,000 technology sites and complete more than 25,000 spectrum expansions across Vi's network

Telecom sector regulator Trai is likely to finalise its recommendation on proposed rules related to spectrum allocation for satellite communications by December 15, an official said on Monday. The government will evaluate recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and thereafter decide on allocating spectrum to satellite communication companies, which will pave the way for satellite-based broadband services in the country. "Trai is working to submit a recommendation on satcom spectrum assignment by December 15. There were several points raised during the open house discussion, some of which were beyond the consultation paper. Those points also need to be looked upon," an official source said on condition of anonymity. Last week Trai concluded an open house discussion on the terms and conditions for the assignment of spectrum for certain satellite-based commercial communication services. Telecom service providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel want ...

In a boost to Elon Musk's Starlink, Communications Minister Scindia has said the spectrum for satellite broadband will be allocated and not auctioned as sought by Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Mittal. The satellite broadband spectrum will however be not given free and sector regulator Trai will fix a price for the resource, he told PTI in a text and video interview. "Every country has to follow the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which is the organisation that lays out the policy for spectrum in space or satellites, and the ITU has been very clear in terms of the spectrum being given out on an assignment basis. In addition, if you look across the world today, I cannot think of a single country that auctions spectrum for satellite," Scindia said. India is a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency for digital technology. Musk's Starlink and global peers like Amazon's Project Kuiper back an administrative allocation. While ..

GSMA research reveals that only 1 per cent of India's population is unconnected or has no coverage. Domestic telcos say that is too small a market to make a business case

Major satellite players like Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon Kuiper are advocating for lower spectrum prices in India

The government has chosen to allocate satellite communication spectrum through administrative means, rejecting the auction route supported by Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal

The disagreement centres around whether satellite broadband spectrum should be auctioned or administratively allocated in India

While Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper are batting for administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, Reliance Industries argues that auctions are necessary to ensure a fair playing field

Industry body Broadband India Forum on Tuesday opposed Reliance Jio's demand for revising the consultation paper on Satcom spectrum rules. Reliance Jio has urged telecom regulator Trai to come up with a revised paper on spectrum allocation for satellite communication, alleging that it ignores the key points of ensuring a level-playing field between satellite and terrestrial services. Without naming Reliance Jio, Broadband India Forum (BIF) said 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. "In a desperate attempt to confuse all, stakeholders' have questioned the regulator's preference or 'tilting of preference' on the administrative allocation of satellite spectrum, advocating for auctioning such airwaves. "This seems to be a direct defiance of the Telecommunications Act passed by the highest legislative authority of the count

Tech firms and telecom companies tussle of 6 GHz spectrum allocation, while DoT worries about potential impact on Isro satellite operations

Five rounds of auction saw telcos focus on four spectrum bands

"Essential details for the registration of complaints should be automatically populated if users grant permission to access their call logs and other relevant data," the regulator said

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Friday said it has prepaid the entire dues of Rs 7,904 crore for the spectrum it acquired in 2012 and 2015 to the Department of Telecom. Airtel acquired spectrum worth Rs 8.67 crore in 2012 and Rs 29,129 crore in 2015 auction. "Bharti Airtel...said that it has prepaid Rs 7,904 crore to the Department of Telecom. With this, the Company has fully prepaid all deferred liabilities pertaining to spectrum acquired in the auction of the year 2012 and 2015, which were at the highest interest cost of 9.75 and 10 per cent, respectively," the company said in a statement. The consolidated net debt for the company, including the impact of leases, declined to Rs 2,04,646 crore as of March 31, 2024, from Rs 2,13,126.4 crore as of March 31, 2024.

COAI said OTTs not paying any charge for data, cost the government Rs 10,000 crore in taxes

This is the second rescheduling of the auction, after it was pushed back from May 20 to June 6

The government seems to have resisted raising the reserve prices of usually sought-after spectrum bands in key telecom circles

10,523 MHz up for sale, reserve price of spectrum is Rs 96,317 cr

Telcos want entire band to be reserved for 5G-based mobile broadband but government not in a rush