TRAI has no pending recommendation on satcom spectrum: Official

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has no pending recommendation or reference on the issue of satellite communication spectrum, an official source said on Friday.

The comments have come a day after Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the regulator has to finalise recommendations on the spectrum price.

"Trai has already given recommendations on spectrum allocation and price for satellite communications. There is no reference that it has received from the DoT after that," an official source said on condition of anonymity.

Telecom regulator TRAI in May recommended a levy of 4 per cent of annual revenues as fee on satcom service providers like Elon Musk's Starlink.

The 4 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) spectrum charge would be for both geostationary orbit (GSO) and NGSO (non-geostationary orbit) operators. These would be subject to a minimum annual spectrum charge of Rs 3,500 per MHz.

TRAI, in its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications, had said that operators offering services in urban areas would have to shell out an additional Rs 500 per subscriber annually.

No additional levy would be applicable for services in rural areas.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended that satellite broadband spectrum be allotted for five years, which can be extended by another two years.