India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication, and it should be designed to attract investments in the sector, telecom regulator Trai chairman PD Vaghela said. Speaking at a Broadband India Forum summit on SatCom, Vaghela said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon make recommendations to make permissions required for satellite communication from various ministries — Information and Broadcasting, Space and Telecom — seamless to enhance ease of doing business in the sector. He also said Trai has received a reference from the Department of Telecommunication for the spectrum required to be put to auction and associated aspects of satellite-based communication.

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What Needs To Be Done:

The regulator is yet to come up with a consultation paper on the spectrum auction as per the standard process meant for satellite communication.

About satellite communication:

• Satellite communication refers to any communication link that involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path.
• Satellite communications play a vital role in modern life.
• There are over 2000 artificial satellites in use.
  • They can be found in geostationary, Molniya, elliptical, and low Earth orbits and are used for traditional point-to-point communications, mobile applications, and the distribution of TV and radio programs.

• Satellite communications tend to use high-frequency signals

TRAI is in discussion with experts and regulators worldwide for a suitable model and the consultation paper will be floated after those discussions are over. While telecom operators have proposed to allocate spectrum through an auction for satellite communication, satellite industry players have opposed it.