TRAI for 4% annual revenue plus Rs 500 as spectrum fee for satcom operators

New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI on Friday recommended levy of 4 per cent of annual revenues as the spectrum fee on satellite-based internet service providers like Elon Musk's Starlink.

Operators offering services in urban areas would have to shell out Rs 500 per subscribers annually additionally, the TRAI said in its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended that satellite broadband spectrum be allotted for five years, which can be extended by another two years.

The 4 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) spectrum charge would be for both geostationary orbit (GSO) and NGSO (non-Geostationary orbit) operators. These would be subject to a minimum annual spectrum charge of Rs 3,500 per MHz.