Key Points
Private telcos in India are urging the regulator to ensure new satellite communication players like Starlink and Kuiper pay market-determined prices for spectrum, aligning with terrestrial network providers..
The countrys top private telcos will likely present a united demand before the regulator that new satcom players pay market-determined prices for spectrum the single biggest capex item for telcos when they compete with terrestrial network providers..
Multiple people aware of developments told ET that Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will be demanding that if satcom players are allowed to offer services in urban areas, serving retail or enterprise customers, a level playing field with terrestrial networks must be ensured.. ..
According to an executive aware of details, the industry body in its submission is going to highlight that when satellite services compete with terrestrial networks by offering similar services to retail and enterprise customers, they must be subject to the same spectrum pricing, regulatory levies, and licensing fees as terrestrial operators...
However, services that directly compete with terrestrial networks such as satellite-based fixed and mobile services or serving of retail/enterprise customers should be priced aligning and benchmarking with the market-discovered price of spectrum for terrestrial networks..
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