In the previous year, satellite communication, or satcom, became a new front in the telecom wars between India's two largest telecom companies, Bharati Airtel and Reliance Jio. India’s telecom landscape could be revolutionized by this state-of-the-art technology.
Establishing satellite constellations to provide broadband services throughout India is a race among several players, including Tata-Telesat, Amazon, Starlink, Reliance Jio's partnership with SES, and Bharti-backed OneWeb. Satcom lowers entry barriers by operating from space, unlike traditional mobile networks that require ground infrastructure.
Tensions over satcom usage and pricing are recent examples of how Jio, Airtel, and other players sharpen their rivalry even before services are launched.
Acknowledging Satcom: Satellite communication, or Satcom for short, is the use of satellites rather than ground-based networks for internet connectivity. Internet providers send signals to satellites, which subsequently connect to users' modem-connected dishes. The setups used today are small, whereas older models had larger gear.
The potential of satellite communications (satcom) includes the provision of broadband in places not reachable by terrestrial networks, emergency assistance, and support in isolated and rural areas. It increases resilience in times of calamity by offering substitute connectivity.
The distribution of satellite spectrum was a topic of discussion amongst telecom operators in the previous year. Jio promoted auctions, stressing their fairness, while OneWeb-Bharti and other proponents preferred allocation.
Government Decision: To end the debate, the Telecommunication Bill mandated the administrative allocation of satellite spectrum in December.
After a settlement, a new conflict emerges. Jio says commercial Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is a 5G use case and should be auctioned off instead of utilizing administratively allotted spectrum for it.
Dispute: In response to Jio, Eutelsat OneWeb claims that commercial FWA in remote locations can be supported by satellite spectrum, which is different from 5G FWA that telcos provide to individual customers.
Telcos view 5G FWA as a potential source of additional revenue, particularly in areas where fiber deployment is difficult. Compared to mobile services, analysts anticipate that 5G FWA will generate more revenue.
The future of satellite communication and its potential for integration with 5G remain topics of discussion and discussion as the largest telecom companies carry on their space battle.
