After a temporary truce, Airtel and Reliance Jio take on Musk's Starlink once again
NEW DELHI: The temporary truce that domestic telecom majors Airtel and Reliance Jio struck with Elon Musk's satcom venture Starlink has been disturbed. The local telecom operators have raised questions over Trai's recommendations regarding spectrum allocation to satcom companies and alleged that they are 'non-transparent and non-justifiable', and favour satellite companies over the homegrown terrestrial operators.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the body representing the local companies, claimed that much against Trai's assumption that satcom will be a fringe player with a business case only in network-unserved areas and rural regions, the 'reality' is that it will compete with the terrestrial networks.
'These recommendations thus create a substantial regulatory arbitrage as they fail to appreciate that in reality, satellite communication services are fast emerging as full-fledged competitors in the broadband market and the leading NGSO (non-geostationary satellite orbits) constellations are actively targeting retail and enterprise users in all geographies, including urban and well-connected regions,' COAI DG Lt.
Gen. (Retd) SP Kochhar said.
COAI claimed that Trai did not take into account inputs provided by the local players before coming out with its recommendations that are now being considered by the telecom ministry. 'These recommendations are non-transparent based on non-justifiable assumption rather than factual data. The limited consideration of stakeholder inputs coupled with the absence of comprehensive consultation on key issues -- such as ensuring a level-playing field, evaluating network capacity, determining assignment methods, and establishing fair spectrum valuation—along with reliance on flawed assumptions, has culminated in recommendations that are not only inequitable but may also contravene the principles embodied in the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
'
The local companies – who buy airwaves through auctions -- had previously raised objections to the government's decision to give spectrum to satcom companies administratively, but had later decided to partner Starlink (both Airtel and Jio), weeks after Musk had a meeting with PM Narendra Modi during the latter's visit to the US in February.
Starlink recently received a letter of intent (LoI) from the telecom ministry to begin services, and now awaits a formal license.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
In its representation, COAI also raised objections to the 'differential spectrum pricing' suggested for terrestrial services versus satcom operators. '… the price per MHz should be equivalent or at least comparable for both, especially when used to reach the same consumers for identical services. Equity and non-discrimination principles require that if spectrum for satellite-based services are to be assigned administratively rather than through auction, its pricing must reasonably reflect parity with auction-discovered rates applicable to terrestrial spectrum in comparable frequency bands.
'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Astronomers fear impact of Musk's Starlink on South Africa mega-telescope observations
By Wendell Roelf CAPE TOWN: Astronomers working with South Africa's SKA telescope are pushing authorities to ensure that any licensing agreement with Elon Musk 's Starlink will protect their groundbreaking observations, a senior scientist said. Discussions to bring Musk's internet service Starlink in South Africa have already been contentious, with parent company SpaceX criticising local shareholding laws while backing equity equivalent programmes. South Africa said it will review its Information and Communication Technology sector rules but will not back down on government policies to transform the economy three decades after white-minority rule ended. Scientists fear South Africa's Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Mid), the world's most powerful radio telescope together with another array co-hosted in Australia, will have their sensitive space observations distorted by Starlink's low-orbiting satellites. "It will be like shining a spotlight into someone's eyes, blinding us to the faint radio signals from celestial bodies," Federico Di Vruno, co-chair of International Astronomical Union Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky, told Reuters in a telephone interview. Di Vruno said the SKA Observatory, where he is spectrum manager, and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) were lobbying for license requirements to reduce the impact on observations in certain frequency ranges, including some that SKA-Mid uses. That could direct Starlink to steer satellite beams away from SKA receivers or stop transmission for a few seconds to minimise interference, he said. South Africa's current SKA antennae, in the remote Northern Cape town of Carnarvon, use the 350 megahertz to 15.4 gigahertz bandwidth, a range also used by most satellite operators for downlinks. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa regulator and Starlink did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters about the scientists' concerns. MAJOR OBSERVATIONS South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor to SKA-Mid which will be incorporated into the larger instrument, has already discovered a rare giant radio galaxy that is 32 times the size of the Milky Way. Last year, it found 49 new galaxies in under three hours, according to SARAO. SKA Observatory, an international body, also campaigns for conditions on licensing agreements with other major satellite operators such as Amazon and Eutelsat's OneWeb to ensure quiet skies amid a boom in new satellite launches. "We are trying to follow different technical and regulatory avenues to mitigate this issue on the global stage," Di Vruno said.
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Musk taps investors for billions days after Washington exit
Elon Musk is selling $5 billion in debt for his artificial intelligence startup, xAI Corp. , the latest in a series of fundraising efforts across his business empire as the billionaire pivots away from politics and returns to running his various companies. Morgan Stanley is shopping the debt for xAI with a double-digit interest rate, according to people familiar with early pricing discussions. The financing could help Musk continue to spend aggressively on AI infrastructure as he builds out a massive data center in Memphis. Musk appears eager to refocus on his array of businesses after announcing last week that he would be stepping back from politics. He had spent months as a senior adviser and regular companion to President Donald Trump, for whom he campaigned in the 2024 election and was a top financial supporter. The debt package includes a floating-rate term loan, a fixed-rate term loan and senior secured notes, said the people, who are not authorized to share the information publicly. The proceeds will go toward general corporate purposes, with commitments due June 17. Early pricing discussions are 7 percentage points over the benchmark rate for the floating-rate term loan and a roughly 12% yield on the senior notes, different people with knowledge of the matter said. The debt sale has already garnered demand in excess of $3.5 billion, they added. Live Events A representative for xAI declined to comment. Morgan Stanley did not immediately provide a comment. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Musk's presence in Washington — where he oversaw a broad government cost-cutting initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency — led to widespread criticism of him personally, but also concern about the performance of his companies. Shares at Tesla Inc., where Musk is chief executive officer, are down 20% since the inauguration. In addition to xAI's debt offering, Musk also raised $650 million for his neurotechnology company, Neuralink Corp. , and is selling $300 million in xAI stock through a secondary offering, according to the Financial Times. Investor enthusiasm Musk recently merged xAI with his social-networking platform X into a combined company called XAI Holdings . He has been investing heavily in its Memphis data center, called Colossus, which the debt sale could help finance. That operation already has 200,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) training its AI systems, and Musk aims to add 1 million in another location nearby, he said in a May 20 interview on CNBC. Bloomberg previously reported that the company was in talks with investors to raise roughly $20 billion in funding, underscoring the market's enthusiasm for AI as well as Musk's standing as a business titan and political player. Morgan Stanley has a long history of working with Musk. The bank advised him on his takeover of X — then called Twitter Inc. — in 2022 and led a group of lenders that provided debt financing for the $44 billion acquisition. They intended to immediately sell the loans to investors, but concerns about the underlying business and some of Musk's erratic decisions left banks stuck with $13 billion of risky debt on their balance sheets for more than two years. Morgan Stanley successfully re-launched the sale process this year, getting rid of the last bits of debt in April, as Musk's standing in Washington bolstered optimism about his business prospects. The early relationship between X and xAI was also marketed as a perk for investing in the platform's bonds. Between the debt sales at or near face value, the interest payments and the advisory fees, Morgan Stanley ended up profiting handsomely from the transaction.
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Elon Musk's brain chip startup, Neuralink raises $650 million in Series E round
Elon Musk 's brain-computer interface company Neuralink announced Monday it has raised $650 million in its latest funding round, as the startup accelerates clinical trials of its brain implant technology across multiple countries. The Series E round attracted major investors including ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital, and several others, valuing the company at approximately $9 billion pre-money according to recent reports. The funding represents a significant increase from Neuralink's $280 million Series D round in August 2023. Five patients with severe paralysis are currently using Neuralink's brain chip to control digital and physical devices through thought alone, marking a major milestone in the company's mission to restore independence for individuals with neurological conditions. The chip processes neural signals that can be transmitted wirelessly to computers and smartphones. Clinical trials for Neuralink's brain implant device expand globally by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Neuralink has launched clinical trials at leading medical institutions across three countries, including Barrow Neurological Institute, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami, University Health Network in Toronto, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. The FDA granted Neuralink "breakthrough device" designation for both its speech restoration technology last month and its vision-restoring device in 2024. This designation expedites the development and review process for promising medical technologies. The company plans to use the new funding to expand patient access and develop next-generation devices that create deeper connections between biological and artificial intelligence. Neuralink is also investing in expanding the number of neurons and brain regions its device can interface with, working toward what it calls a "whole-brain interface." The funding comes as Musk recently stepped back from his advisory role with President Trump to refocus on his companies, including Tesla , SpaceX, and Neuralink.
