In response to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) consultation paper on ‘Licensing Framework for Satellite-based Connectivity for Low bit-rate Applications,’ SIA-India has requested the regulator to include low bitrate satellite services in the existing licensing framework and relax terminal-by-terminal fees, especially in the case of internet of things (IoT) to ensure success in the country.
As per Anil Prakash, director general, SIA-India, “Individual terminal-by-terminal fees should be avoided when dealing with a number of ubiquitous user terminals with similar technical and operational characteristics (in other words, a “blanket licence” approach would be more suitable.”
Further, the satcom industry body submitted that L-band, S-band, C-band, Ku-band, Ka-band, and other higher bands should be used to provide satellite-based IoT connectivity.
SIA-India also emphasised that geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites should be permitted for providing satellite-based low-bitrate connectivity. Moreover, it added that a hybrid model consisting of low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) and satellite and direct to satellite connectivity models should be permitted to provide satellite connectivity for IoT devices and low-bit-rate applications.
