Daily Current Affairs & Trending Topics — Explained Simply
Imagine standing in a remote Himalayan village, or in the middle of a desert in Rajasthan, and your phone still shows a signal — not from a mobile tower, because there is none for miles, but from a satellite passing hundreds of kilometres overhead. That is the future the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) moved a step closer to on 5 November 2026, when it released a new framework for satellite communication in India. So, will smartphones in India connect directly to satellites? The short answer is: not tomorrow, and not on every phone — but TRAI has now drawn the map for how it could happen, and the ball is in the government's court.
TRAI has recommended a brand-new category of permission called the Satellite Communication Network (SCN) Provider Authorisation, to be created under Section 3(1)(b) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The recommendations were sent to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which had asked TRAI in July 2025 to work out the terms for such an authorisation. The DoT will now take the final decision on whether to accept the proposals.
The core idea is simple but important. Today, a satellite company that wants to offer services in India largely has to become a telecom service provider itself. Under TRAI's framework, a satellite company could instead build and operate a satellite network and sell its capacity — as a service — to licensed telecom operators and other eligible service providers. TRAI calls this Satellite Communication Network-as-a-Service (SCNaaS). The satellite operator would not be allowed to sell telecom services directly to consumers; that job stays with the telecom operator, which would use the satellite capacity to reach its own subscribers.
For example, a satellite company such as Starlink could provide network capacity to a telecom operator such as Bharti Airtel, which could then offer connectivity to its subscribers in areas where its towers cannot reach. The same model would apply to other satellite players, including Amazon Leo, Eutelsat OneWeb and Tata's Nelco.
The most talked-about part of the recommendations is direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity — the ability of an ordinary, compatible smartphone to connect straight to a satellite without a mobile tower in between. TRAI has proposed two routes for this.
The first route uses dedicated mobile satellite spectrum, in the L-band and S-band, to connect compatible smartphones directly to satellites. For this to work at scale, TRAI has suggested that the government encourage smartphone manufacturers to build the necessary satellite-communication hardware into future handsets sold in India.
The second route uses spectrum that telecom operators already hold for normal mobile services. Under this arrangement, a satellite could connect directly to a phone using an operator's existing mobile frequencies. TRAI has identified the 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for such services. The satellite company would need agreements with telecom operators holding the relevant spectrum across all 22 licensed service areas.
TRAI has also recommended that this second type of D2D service be allowed before the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2027, on a non-interference and non-protection basis — meaning it must not disturb existing networks and cannot claim protection from them. That is a significant signal: the regulator does not want India to wait years for an international conference before testing the technology.
TRAI's framework also spells out the commercial terms, and they are deliberately lighter than a full telecom licence. The authorisation would be valid for up to 20 years, with the option of renewal for another 20 years. The authorisation fee would be 8 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR), with no minimum fee. The entry fee is proposed at Rs 37.5 lakh, with an application processing fee of Rs 10,000. Minimum equity and net worth are set at Rs 60 lakh, and the initial bank guarantee at Rs 45 lakh.
On spectrum, TRAI has recommended administrative assignment of eligible satellite spectrum for up to five years, extendable by another two years. Where the government assigns fixed satellite service (FSS) or mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum to a satellite network provider, there would be an annual minimum spectrum charge of Rs 3,500 per MHz. Satellite network providers could also use spectrum assigned to their partner service providers.
These numbers matter because they decide who can afford to enter the business. A 20-year authorisation with an AGR-linked fee, rather than a large upfront auction payment, is designed to attract satellite operators while keeping the government's revenue share tied to actual earnings.
The framework could be a turning point for companies waiting to start satellite broadband in India. Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite already hold GMPCS authorisations to provide satellite-based services, but they are yet to launch commercial satellite broadband services in India. They are still working through security requirements and waiting for spectrum allocation and final clearances.
TRAI's recommendations do not, by themselves, clear those hurdles. They create a regulatory pathway: a defined authorisation, clear fees, and a model in which satellite companies partner with telecom operators instead of competing with them for subscribers. That partnership model may also suit the government, which has raised national security concerns around satellite services. The DoT's decision — which proposals it accepts and what conditions it attaches — will determine how fast things actually move.
It is also worth noting that TRAI's own data shows how large India's telecom market already is — the regulator tracks telephone subscribers every month, and the scale of that subscriber base is exactly why satellite companies see India as one of the world's biggest opportunities. Read our earlier explainer on [TRAI's September 2026 telephone subscriber numbers](https://indiaask.tech/trai-telephone-subscribers-september-2026-explained) to see how the market is growing.
For most people, the practical change will be gradual. No existing phone will suddenly start connecting to satellites, because D2D needs compatible hardware and a service agreement between a satellite operator and a telecom company. Early uses are likely to be messaging and emergency communication in areas with no coverage, rather than high-speed internet on every handset.
But the long-term impact could be large. India has vast stretches — mountains, forests, deserts and seas — where building mobile towers is expensive or impractical. Satellite connectivity could fill those gaps for villagers, travellers, disaster-response teams and people working in remote locations. The same space technology that powers navigation — India recently launched the [NVS-03 navigation satellite](https://indiaask.tech/isro-nvs-03-navigation-satellite-launch-october-2026-explained) — is now being joined by a framework that could bring connectivity itself from space.
There is also a competitive angle. If satellite capacity becomes available to any licensed operator on equal terms, smaller operators and new entrants could offer coverage in places where only the biggest players have towers today. That could push down prices and improve service in rural India, where connectivity gaps are widest.
The recommendations are proposals, not law. The Department of Telecommunications must decide which parts to accept, and then notify the rules. After that, satellite companies will need to apply for the new authorisation, sign agreements with telecom operators, and get compatible handsets into the market. Security clearances and spectrum assignment remain separate steps, and each can take time.
So the honest picture is this: TRAI has opened the door, but the government still has to walk through it, and the industry still has to build what is on the other side. If it all comes together, the phone in your pocket may one day reach a satellite when no tower is in sight — and for millions of Indians in places the mobile network has never reached, that would be a genuine change, not just a new feature.
For the full detail, TRAI's framework has been covered by major news outlets, including [Moneycontrol's report on the new satellite authorisation](https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/telecom/trai-proposes-new-satellite-authorisation-paves-way-for-direct-to-mobile-connectivity-in-india-14072154.html/amp) and [NDTV's explainer on what it means for Starlink, Jio and OneWeb](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/telecom-bodys-new-satcom-framework-what-it-means-for-starlink-jio-and-oneweb-12288591/amp/1).
TRAI's 5 November 2026 recommendations propose a new Satellite Communication Network Provider Authorisation, a 20-year licence that lets satellite companies sell network capacity to telecom operators, and a two-route path to direct-to-device connectivity for smartphones. The fees are modest, the spectrum rules are defined, and the door is open for Starlink, OneWeb, Amazon Leo and Indian players alike. But nothing is final until the Department of Telecommunications accepts the proposals, and no phone will connect to a satellite until the clearances, partnerships and handsets are in place. The framework is a beginning — an important one — and the next few months will show whether India moves from recommendations to real satellite connectivity.
No, not immediately. TRAI has only made recommendations on 5 November 2026. The Department of Telecommunications must first accept them and notify the rules, and then satellite companies need authorisations, partnerships with telecom operators, and compatible handsets. Direct-to-device connectivity will arrive gradually, starting most likely with messaging and emergency use in areas without mobile coverage.
It is a new category of authorisation proposed by TRAI under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. It would let a satellite company build and operate a satellite network and sell its capacity as a service to licensed telecom operators and other eligible service providers. The satellite company would not be allowed to sell telecom services directly to consumers. The authorisation would be valid for up to 20 years, renewable for another 20 years.
TRAI has proposed two routes. The first uses dedicated mobile satellite spectrum in the L-band and S-band to connect compatible smartphones directly to satellites. The second uses mobile frequencies already assigned to telecom operators (600, 700, 800, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz), with the satellite connecting to a phone using the operator's existing spectrum. Both need compatible handsets and agreements between satellite companies and telecom operators.
TRAI has proposed an authorisation fee of 8 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) with no minimum fee, an entry fee of Rs 37.5 lakh, an application processing fee of Rs 10,000, minimum equity and net worth of Rs 60 lakh, and an initial bank guarantee of Rs 45 lakh. Satellite spectrum would be assigned for up to five years (extendable by two years), with an annual minimum spectrum charge of Rs 3,500 per MHz where the government assigns FSS or MSS spectrum.
Not necessarily. TRAI's recommendations create a regulatory pathway, but Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite are still awaiting security clearances and spectrum allocation before they can launch commercial satellite broadband in India. The DoT's decision on TRAI's proposals, plus those clearances, will decide the actual timeline.
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