en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Indian telecom regulator (Trai) proposed authorizing communication satellite operators to act as infrastructure providers, collaborating with existing telecom operators to expand commercial communication services to users. This proposal received joint support from satellite operators and telecom operators during a public discussion on Thursday.

During the public discussion organized by Trai, satellite operators such as Amazon Leo, telecom operators including Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, as well as enterprise communication provider Tata Communications, all agreed with Trai's proposal to establish separate layers for network providers and service operators. Industry think tank Broadband India Forum (BIF) opposed the proposal, arguing that the emerging satellite communication sector should be recognized as an independent service rather than a strictly wholesale infrastructure layer. A BIF spokesperson pointed out that defining satellite communication solely as an infrastructure layer contradicts the overarching Telecommunications Act 2023, which explicitly classifies satellite communication as an independent service. Reliance Jio, which has announced plans to launch its own satellite constellation, also opposed the two-tier framework, stating that the existing satellite gateway and virtual network operator frameworks already adequately address the issue. The push for separating the network layer from the service layer stems from the Department of Telecommunications' rejection in January 2025 of Trai's earlier proposal for a unified network and service layer, citing that it would cause significant operational inefficiencies. In written submissions, satellite operators including Starlink, Amazon Leo, and Oneweb welcomed the establishment of a separate layer, stating that it would enable satellite operators to operate networks on a service model, focusing on providing wholesale capacity while leaving retail obligations to partners.