Debate over satellite spectrum allocation: Jio, OneWeb up the ante

Sunil Mittal's OneWeb had earlier insisted that spectrum allocation for satellite operators be done administratively as outlined in the Act - setting up a direct confrontation with Jio

In a new development in the ongoing spectrum battle, India’s largest telecommunications carrier by subscriber count, Reliance Jio, has written to the regulator, arguing that the Telecommunications Act, 2023, does not mandate “administrative allocation as the only method of assignment” for satellite operators.

Jio contends that the Act includes provisions allowing the government to amend the First Schedule, which currently lists services where spectrum can be assigned administratively, including global mobile personal communications by satellite (GMPCS).

In its response on August 16, Jio rejected the claim made by a stakeholder that spectrum should continue to be assigned administratively to