TRAI Chairman RC Lahoti has stated that the telecom regulator will give priority to price for satellite spectrum before tackling the regulation of over-the-top (OTT) apps such as Google Meet, Telegram, and WhatsApp.
Lahoti has stated that TRAI intends to release a consultation paper on satellite spectrum pricing in the coming days.
TRAI To Give Priority To Price For Satellite Spectrum
After the spectrum pricing issue is resolved, the Telecommunications Act 2023’s regulation of OTT apps will be examined. This discussion is taking place in a different forum.
Concerns have been expressed by telecom operators regarding TRAI’s recent recommendation to abandon the old licensing approach and permit the deployment of communication services with a single authorization.
Lahoti highlighted that TRAI has suggested a new framework to ease service provisioning, which streamlines the procedure, under the Telecommunications Act 2023. He also stated, “Our entire team was occupied in this massive exercise of recommending a new framework. We will now work on recommendations for spectrum pricing.”
The pricing of satellite spectrum consultation will soon be available; no specific date for the suggestions’ completion has been given.
The new framework, which only requires a single authorization per service, lowers costs for service providers by lowering compliance obligations, according to TRAI Principal Advisor SB Singh.
Three General Kinds of Telecommunication Service Authorizations Included in TRAI’s Recommendations
Three general kinds of telecommunication service authorizations are included in TRAI’s recommendations, which were released on September 18: main service, auxiliary service, and captive service authorizations.
A “One Nation – One Authorization” mechanism for telecom services across regions is what the new “Unified Service Authorization” framework seeks to establish.
The Telecommunications Act 2023 recommends that the government provide service authorizations instead of entering into agreements with organizations, and TRAI has lowered the service authorization application charge.
There is no deadline for service providers to convert from their current licenses to the new authorisation framework; migration is voluntary.
