Reliance Jio sends 'complaint letter' to telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Reliance Jio has reportedly urged the Indian government to conduct a transparent auction for satellite spectrum and revise the regulator's consultation paper to ensure a level playing field between satellite and terrestrial networks.
According to a report in Economic Times, in a letter to Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jio highlighted the growing interest of global satellite constellations like Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, and its own joint venture with SES in India. These constellations are expected to offer satellite-based communication services, directly competing with terrestrial networks.
Jio argued that since terrestrial networks acquire spectrum through auctions, a similar process should be adopted for satellite services to ensure fair competition. The company previously addressed this concern to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) but received no favorable response.

Jio requested the minister's intervention to ensure that TRAI addresses these issues in its consultation paper and adopts fair, transparent, and competitive spectrum assignment policies. The company criticized TRAI's proposed administrative approach, based on a "first come first served" basis, without a clear methodology. "We respectfully request your intervention so that Trai addresses these issues in its consultation paper and ensures its recommendation on the spectrum assignment policies uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and competition as mandated by the Telecommunications Act and judgements of the Supreme Court," Jio said.
"Trai seems to have concluded, without any basis, that spectrum assignment should be administrative and based on a "first come first served" basis," Jio added in the letter.
The Broadband India Forum (BIF), representing satellite firms like Oneweb and Hughes, has opposed Jio's argument for a level playing field, claiming it misunderstands the technologies and relevant laws. However, Jio maintained that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has emphasized the importance of a level playing field in its reference to TRAI.