The Telecom Bill, 2023, passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday will give added impetus to the country’s space sector where recent reforms permit larger participation by private players, according to S. Somanath, Secretary, Department of Space (DoS), and Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Together with the Indian Space Policy-2023, the Telecom Bill provides the “needed clarity” on the roles of government and the stakeholders, which will help new players to venture into the flourishing sectors of Telecom, IT and Space, he said in a DoS note on the Bill’s impact on the space sector.
Spectrum assignment
Mr. Somanath observed that the Bill provides clarity to the assignment of spectrum by listing in the ‘First Schedule,’ which is part of the Bill, the areas and activities for which the allocation is made through the non-auction route.
Clause 4 (4) of the Bill says that ‘The Central government shall assign spectrum for telecommunication through auction, except for entries listed in the First Schedule for which assignment shall be done by administrative process.’ This Schedule covers areas like space research and application, launch-vehicle operations, ground station for satellite control, and most of the satellite communication services and user segments.
Administrative allocation of spectrum for such activities will attract new players to space-based services, particularly satellite communication services, according to Mr. Somanath.
“More importantly, the certainty of timely availability of space spectrum through administrative assignment will provide the freedom to satellite operators to plan the deployment of satellites, to put their systems to optimal use soon after the launch, and to provide the capacity to multiple users as well as service providers. This will also provide the freedom to satellite operators to cater to other customers outside India using the same platform,” he said.
The space spectrum is brought into use through satellites in the geostationary and non-geostationary orbits. Spectrum allocation through the administrative route “eliminates the contradictions on right to space spectrum which is shared by multiple countries,” according to a DoS note on the matter.
189 registered start-ups
Pointing out that the “time is most apt and ripe” for new entrants, Mr. Somanath noted that India currently has 189 registered start-ups working in space technology. At present, 119 start-ups, 45 micro, small and medium enterprises and 82 bigger industries have applied to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN–SPACe) either to seek support of ISRO facilities and technologies or to undertake activities with their own capabilities.
Indian space start-ups have successfully attracted over ₹1,000 crore in private investments since April 2023, according to him. “This demonstrates the potential of emerging Indian private space ecosystem. The space economy of our country is expected to reach 10% of the global space economy by 2033, pegged at $44 billion from the present valuation of 2% at $8 billion,” he said.
