India Eyes Protections For Domestic Satcom Players In New Spectrum Rules

India is likely to include coordination provisions in its upcoming draft spectrum assignment rules for satellite communication, aimed at ensuring global players such as Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb do not block the entry of Indian constellations like Jio's, according to an Economic Times report.

The Department of Telecommunications is expected to include coordination requirements in its draft spectrum assignment rules for global non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite operators. Under these provisions, global satcom players may be required to coordinate with Indian constellations to secure spectrum and offer services in the country, the report said.

The move is being considered to prevent global operators, who currently have an edge in securing preferred orbital slots, from refusing coordination and thereby blocking Indian entrants. "If they refuse coordination, the latter satcom entrant faces interference issues and may not be able to launch services," an official told ET.

Satcom operators are required to adjust infrastructure, including satellites, earth stations and receiver tilt angles, to avoid signal interference with other networks. This coordination process works only when both parties cooperate, and the report noted that existing players typically have an advantage, leaving new entrants to make more adjustments to their systems.

Current Status Of Approvals

Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio's satellite joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES have all secured approvals from India's space regulator, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), along with permits from the DoT for their NGSO constellations. None of the three have yet received security clearances, and spectrum allocation is still pending for all of them.

Amazon's satellite venture, Amazon Leo, has applied for approvals but has not yet received clearance from either IN-SPACe or the DoT.

The government's push to support Indian satellite constellations is also linked to national security considerations, given that satellite networks operate beyond a country's physical borders. The report cited the West Asia conflict, where Starlink terminals were reportedly used inside Iran despite a ban on the service there, as an example that has raised concerns within India's security establishment.

As a result, the Centre is backing the development of Indian satellite constellations, viewing the space sector as important to national security, particularly for defence-related applications, the report said.

The orbital parameters, configuration and architecture of Jio's planned constellation have been designed to allow coexistence with another Indian constellation that may be developed in the future, the report added.

Jio plans to offer fixed satellite services, including broadband and cellular backhaul, as well as mobile satellite services such as direct-to-device connectivity. The company intends to set up 20 to 22 ground stations and aims to offer throughput of nearly 4 to 4.5 terabits per second (Tbps) over India, which would be the highest among global players that have secured approvals so far.