Satcom takes centre stage as Mittal says 'buy spectrum'

No auction of satellite spectrum: Telecom minister

- SUBHAYAN CHAKRABORTY

Auction versus administered allocation of satellite spectrum came into the spotlight at the inaugural session of the India Mobile Congress here on Tuesday. Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, who was the third speaker at the annual telecom meet, got industry watchers excited when he referred to level-playing field between traditional telcos and satellite communication providers.

In his address to the gathering, that included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Reliance Jio Infocomm chairman Akash Ambani and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, Mittal spoke about the ongoing global debate on how fast growing satellite communication services can co-exist with terrestrial networks. And then he said the government should ensure all satellite communication providers abide by the same legal conditions that traditional telecom operators are subjected to, including paying licence fees, and buying spectrum.