Mukesh Ambani Bold Move: Jio Demands TRAI Revised Satellite Spectrum Rules - Read Now

A shocking development occurred when the organization led by Mukesh Ambani's Jio challenged the guidelines issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the question of satellite communication. The action was taken during a time of tension between tycoon Sunil Mittal and tech billionaire Elon Musk over the satellite spectrum allocation.

While the competition is heating up in the satellite network space, the twins Jio and Airtel are gearing up to enter this market, while Musk's Starlink has already applied for the license to offer the service in the Indian country. Recently, Musk thanked Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia publicly for not taking the side of the Indian entrepreneurs on the auctioning of the satellite spectrum and was eagerly waiting to serve the Indian market.

Mukesh Ambani Bold Move: Jio's Strategic Letter to TRAI

This is an opportunity to ensure an even playing field between satellite and terrestrial services," Jio wrote in its letter to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Jio Chairman AK Lahoti said clear decisions are needed to avoid discrepancies in spectrum allocation. It has asked the DoT to review Satcom papers following similar plea from Musk's Starlink.

TRAI has already discussed the allocation of satellite spectrum on 27th September, wherein there have already been suggestions that it will not hold an auction; rather, the few companies that were opposing the idea did not like it. The continued debate has already put a spotlight on the ever-importance of satellite services for India's digital infrastructure.
Satellite Race: Starlink v/s Jio
There is the brewing of competition in India's satellite broadband market. On one side are Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper, both competing to promote universal access to satellite services, while Starlink has so far launched 200 satellites, thus easily ahead in this race. Musk has also talked about his plans to enter the Indian market, which ups the ante for established telecom players like Jio.

With decisions by India's TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) looming on the horizon, what's in store for India's telecom sector remains at the crossroads for serious change; one section is pinning hope on bagging a pie from the satellite market.

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