The rollout of satellite communication services in India will depend on the government's decision on spectrum and satellite operators establishing the infrastructure needed to provide services, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti said in an exclusive interview with CNBC-TV18. Lahoti said TRAI has already made its recommendations on the authorisation framework and spectrum assignment for fixed and mobile satellite services. The government has since notified the rules for authorisation under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, while the spectrum recommendations remain under consideration."

The government has already notified the rules for authorization under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, so the rules are already in place. As far as spectrum is concerned, our recommendations are under the active consideration of the government," Lahoti said. He was responding to questions about the delay in the rollout of satellite communication services, nearly 17 months after TRAI submitted its recommendations. Spectrum decision remains pendingLahoti said the regulatory process involves two separate elements — authorisation and spectrum.TRAI has completed its role on the authorisation framework, while the government has notified the relevant rules.

The regulator has also submitted recommendations on spectrum assignment for fixed satellite services and mobile satellite services. The next step on spectrum will depend on the government's consideration of those recommendations. Operators need to build infrastructureLahoti said regulatory approvals are not the only requirement for satellite communication services to begin. Potential service providers will also need to establish infrastructure, including gateways, network operations centres and points of presence, as well as meet the government's security requirements." Besides the regulatory framework, potential service providers—the satellite operators—will also need to establish infrastructure," Lahoti said.

This means the rollout will require action from both the government and satellite operators, with the former considering the spectrum recommendations and the latter working on the infrastructure required to provide services. No rollout timeline from TRAIAsked when satellite communication services could be expected to roll out, Lahoti said TRAI does not have a direct role at this stage." As the regulator, we don't come into play in that particular area, because our role was to give recommendations, which we have done," Lahoti said.

He said the rollout would take place once the necessary matters are finalised at the government end and the required steps are completed by service providers. For now, the government's decision on spectrum remains a key pending step, while satellite operators work towards establishing the infrastructure needed for service deployment. This is the edited excerpt of the interview.Q: It's a little over two and a half years since you took over as the chairman of TRAI, and I remember when you came in, you said your number one priority was to ensure quality of service and also to crack down as far as spam calls, etc., were concerned.

Two and a half years down the line, do you believe that the task remains largely finished, or do you believe there is still a large distance to cover? Anil Kumar Lahoti: So let me first talk about quality of service. We have come a long way during the last two and a half years. In 2024 itself, we laid down a robust framework for quality of service, which was a complete overhaul of the previous quality-of-service regulations, and we have laid down one of the most stringent benchmarks for quality-of-service regulation. The level of monitoring has become very detailed.

We are now monitoring on a monthly basis and to the cell level, unlike the licensed service area level in the past. The monitoring reports submitted by the service providers are subjected to regular audit now. We also conduct independent drive tests to verify the field situation against the reports being submitted by the service provider. So it is one of the most stringent quality-monitoring systems that we now have in place. However, this is as far as outdoor coverage is concerned. We have come a long way on outdoor coverage, but indoor quality of coverage still remains a challenge.

Indoor quality requires deployment of in-building solutions. The signals attenuate when they cross building walls, and unless in-building solutions are available, good-quality indoor coverage is not possible. That's where TRAI has recommended inclusion of provisions for in-building solutions in building design and construction standards. Also, we have prepared a robust digital connectivity rating framework, whereby we can rate buildings for their level of digital connectivity, and a prospective buyer or tenant can evaluate a property in respect of its digital connectivity experience.Q: Let's talk about this digital connectivity rating framework that the TRAI is pushing forward.

It is, of course, voluntary at this point in time; it is not mandatory.

But I want to understand from you: when you talk about the fact that there have already been significant improvements in quality of service on the outdoor side, and on the indoor side there is a lot left to be desired, what is the gap that we're talking about that you hope to address with these measures? How bad are things on the indoor side? Anil Kumar Lahoti: Currently, the situation is that, in multi-storied apartment buildings or even large buildings, 4G and 5G technologies use high-frequency signals. When these signals cross building walls, they attenuate, and if multiple walls are crossed, the signal attenuates further.

Then the indoor quality experience is poor or inferior, or sometimes almost unavailable. To meet this challenge, it is important that we deploy an in-building solution within the building. What it means is that you install small distributed antennas across the building, and the signal is brought to the building and distributed throughout it, so that you get a good digital connectivity experience throughout the building. The digital connectivity rating regulation that we have made seeks to address this problem by carrying out ratings of buildings.Q: I would imagine that there's been a wide degree of consultation with all the stakeholders involved.

What do you believe will be the biggest challenge to people wanting to be part of the framework and adopting the digital rating system? What do you see as the obstacles? Is it likely to be a cost issue or an execution issue? Anil Kumar Lahoti: What we have come across during the last two years is that the biggest challenge is awareness.

There are multiple stakeholders involved in the entire process, including project proponents, government agencies, real estate developers, consultants who design the buildings, and finally the consumers themselves, who are not aware of the entire thing. In the absence of this awareness, buildings are commonly designed and constructed without planning for digital connectivity. In such buildings, you realise there is poor connectivity upon occupation, and then you start retrofitting solutions to improve the digital connectivity.

What we are doing is educating government departments, real estate developers, consultants, academic institutions, and consumers through workshops about the requirement for in-building solutions and the digital connectivity rating framework, so that they start adopting it and see the merits.

Another challenge we found was that when we first promulgated this regulation in 2024 and were in dialogue with stakeholders about its implementation, we realised that certain pieces were missing. For example, the original framework only provided for five ratings—one star, two stars, three stars, and so on. It didn't have a provision for a half-star. A developer might have done very good work but fallen a little short of, say, five stars, and would get only four stars. So we have now provided for a half-star rating as well.

The other challenge was that our original framework provided for rating a building only after everything was completed and commissioned, whereas marketing of the property typically starts as soon as the plans are approved. So we have revised the framework and now provided for stage-wise rating: from the planning stage to the construction stage, and then finally when commissioning takes place and the signal is commissioned.

This provides visibility of the rating throughout the various stages of the construction process. Another thing we realised was that owners of properties that were already constructed were hesitant to undertake the rating, apprehending that they might get a poor rating and the property may get devalued. So we have now provided for an audit process without requiring a formal rating, so property owners can find out where they stand in respect of digital connectivity infrastructure, improve it, and then go for the rating. The ultimate objective is to get a good connectivity experience. We have addressed all these gaps, and we do hope that now this will be adopted.Q: Let me move to other areas that TRAI has also been at the forefront of.

Almost 17 months after you gave your recommendations on satellite communications, we're still waiting for things to move forward on that front. What is the holdup? What is causing the delay? TRAI recommended 4% of AGR with an urban levy. The government has gone for 5% minus the urban levy. Where do you believe things currently stand, and when do you expect the rollout?

Anil Kumar Lahoti: The rollout of satellite communication services—which could be fixed satellite service or mobile satellite service—has two components. One is the authorization itself, and the other is the availability of spectrum.TRAI has already given its recommendations for the authorization framework for satellite communication services, and also for the assignment of spectrum for fixed satellite services as well as mobile satellite services. The government has already notified the rules for authorization under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, so the rules are already in place. As far as spectrum is concerned, our recommendations are under the active consideration of the government. Besides the regulatory framework, potential service providers—the satellite operators—will also need to establish infrastructure.

This includes gateways, network operating centres, and points of presence. They also have to comply with the government's security requirements. That action is to be taken by the operators. So action is in process on both sides.Q: Is there an indicative timeline? By when do you expect these services to start? Anil Kumar Lahoti: As the regulator, we don't come into play in that particular area, because our role was to give recommendations, which we have done. There is now action to be taken by the operators themselves, and certain matters are under consideration by the government. It will happen as soon as things fructify at the government end.