Telcos' satellite spectrum wait may end in 5 months; Trai to fix price

The Bill is expected to be fully debated and passed in Parliament only by the Budget session in February

With the telecommunications (telecom) Bill allowing satellite spectrum to be administratively allocated, satellite communication (satcom) providers will have to wait at least four to five months or more for the process to start. Having received all clearances, Reliance Jio and Airtel-backed OneWeb just require the necessary spectrum to start providing satcom services.

Sources in the know said they expect the Bill to be fully debated and passed in Parliament only by the Budget session in February. Work on creating departmental rules for allocating satellite spectrum will begin afterwards and will take a few months, they added.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India,