Elon Musk criticizes Reliance Jio's proposal for satellite spectrum auction
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has slammed Reliance Jio's proposal to auction satellite spectrum in India, calling it "unprecedented." His response came after Jio appealed to Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to revise the regulatory approach toward satellite spectrum. The telecom giant raised concerns about competition between terrestrial and satellite networks, even as existing regulatory recommendations favor administrative allocations.
Musk responds to Jio's demand
Musk's reaction came as a reply to a post by X user @ajtourville, who pointed out Jio's demand for a satellite spectrum auction in India. The billionaire wrote, "That would be unprecedented, as this spectrum was long designated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as shared spectrum for satellites." This came after Jio asked Scindia to re-evaluate the consultation paper released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), saying key issues of fair competition were overlooked.
Starlink's license application and Jio's concerns
Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, has sought a global mobile personal communications by satellite services (GMPCS) license in India. However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is yet to approve the request due to data storage and transfer compliance issues. Meanwhile, Jio raised concerns over several global satellite constellations like Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, Eutelsat-Oneweb, Telesat and its own joint venture with SES seeking spectrum and market access rights in India.
Jio highlights competition with terrestrial networks
Jio emphasized that these constellations will provide access or mobility services in the future, directly competing with terrestrial networks. The company stressed that advancements like non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) systems and direct-to-device services have blurred the lines between satellite and terrestrial systems. While satellite services supplement terrestrial networks in some unconnected regions, they would be directly competing in covered areas.
Jio questions regulatory bias toward satellite spectrum allocation
Jio has also questioned the regulator's bias toward administrative allocation of satellite spectrum. The company noted that while drafting to TRAI, DoT didn't mention a particular methodology for spectrum assignment and left the matter open for discussion. This was as per Section 4 read with the First Schedule of the Telecommunications Act, which backed administrative allocation for satcom airwaves.
