Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance on Friday pressured India’s telecom watchdog to reconsider its plan not to auction satellite spectrum but simply allocate it, in a fresh clash with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
India’s Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said last month that the government will allocate spectrum administratively in line with global trends, but a final notification on how spectrum is awarded will come after telecom watchdog TRAI’s response.
Musk’s Starlink has expressed interest in launching in India after a successful launch in Africa that has stymied local players with low broadband prices and supported the government’s approach to allocating spectrum.
However, Ravi Gandhi, a top policy executive at Reliance, on Friday urged telecom regulator TRAI to review the decision. Speaking at an open discussion organized by TRAI, he said the move to administratively allocate spectrum was “like any kind of allocation It’s the most discriminatory way.” of government resources”.
On the other hand, Starlink India executive Parnil Urdhveshi said India’s allocation plan was “forward-looking”.
Billionaire Ambani runs India’s largest telecom company Reliance Jio. Analysts say the spectrum auction would require a lot of investment, which would deter foreign competitors.
TRAI’s recommendations, which will be formed in the coming weeks, will be crucial in deciding the future course of how satellite spectrum will be distributed.
Reliance, which has dominated India’s telecom sector for years, is worried that it risks losing broadband customers to Musk after spending $19 billion in the airwave auction, and possibly data and voice customers later as the technology advances. is also at risk of being lost, as Reuters previously reported.
The method of allocating spectrum for satellite services in India has been a subject of controversy among billionaires.
Musk’s Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has 6,400 active satellites orbiting Earth to provide low-latency broadband to 4 million customers.
Ambani once offered free data on his mobile plans, but Musk is no stranger to such tactics.
In Kenya, Musk priced Starlink at $10 per month, while in the United States rental plans are available for $120, due to higher hardware costs. In July Kenya’s Safaricom complained to local regulators, saying players like Starlink were required to partner with mobile networks, rather than operate independently. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance on Friday pressured India’s telecom watchdog to reconsider its plan not to auction satellite spectrum but simply allocate it, in a fresh clash with Elon Musk’s Starlink.
India’s Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said last month that the government will allocate spectrum administratively in line with global trends, but a final notification on how spectrum is awarded will come after telecom watchdog TRAI’s response.
Musk’s Starlink has expressed interest in launching in India after a successful launch in Africa that has stymied local players with low broadband prices and supported the government’s approach to allocating spectrum.
However, Ravi Gandhi, a top policy executive at Reliance, on Friday urged telecom regulator TRAI to review the decision. Speaking at an open discussion organized by TRAI, he said the move to administratively allocate spectrum was “like any kind of allocation It’s the most discriminatory way.” of government resources”.
On the other hand, Starlink India executive Parnil Urdhveshi said India’s allocation plan was “forward-looking”.
Billionaire Ambani runs India’s largest telecom company Reliance Jio. Analysts say the spectrum auction would require a lot of investment, which would deter foreign competitors.
TRAI’s recommendations, which will be formed in the coming weeks, will be crucial in deciding the future course of how satellite spectrum will be distributed.
Reliance, which has dominated India’s telecom sector for years, is worried that it risks losing broadband customers to Musk after spending $19 billion in the airwave auction, and possibly data and voice customers later as the technology advances. is also at risk of being lost, as Reuters previously reported.
The method of allocating spectrum for satellite services in India has been a subject of controversy among billionaires.
Musk’s Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has 6,400 active satellites orbiting Earth to provide low-latency broadband to 4 million customers.
Ambani once offered free data on his mobile plans, but Musk is no stranger to such tactics.
In Kenya, Musk priced Starlink at $10 per month, while in the United States rental plans are available for $120, due to higher hardware costs. In July Kenya’s Safaricom complained to local regulators, saying players like Starlink were required to partner with mobile networks, rather than operate independently.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
