Airtel Satellite Telecom Services Ready for Rollout, Awaiting Centre's Go Ahead: Rajan Bharti Mittal

Rajan Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, said on Tuesday that its satellite telecom service was ready for rollout in India, and they were now waiting for the centre's greenlight.

"In India, we are waiting for, as you know, the spectrum allocation to be done. Both our stations are ready, one in Gujarat and one in Tamil Nadu. The base stations are ready. So as soon as we get permission, we will be launching in India as well," Rajan Bharti Mittal told ANI in an interview with the World Economic Forum.

Bharti Enterprises has already launched 635 satellites and is providing services in other parts of the world, he said.

On the debate around spectrum allocation through administrative process or through auction, he reiterated Bharti Airtel's stance, stating satellite companies should be required to pay licensing fees and acquire spectrum through auctions, just as traditional telecom operators do.

"We are all saying it should be a level playing field. The unconnected areas where the terrestrial networks cannot go, this is a great provider of services especially for broadband. So it must be kept in mind that the Satcom services which are being given in far-flung areas and also in maritime or defense or other areas, that should have a different kind of a playing field," he added

He said "we are waiting for the recommendations to come through" from the government.

The Akash Ambani-led Reliance Jio had also pitched for satellite companies to pay license fee and buy spectrum for their telecom services just like legacy telecom companies do.

Elon Musk's Starlink and global peers like Amazon's Project Kuiper want an administrative allocation of spectrum for satellite services.

On the pricing front for such satellite-based telecom services, he said Satcom will be able to deliver at far-flung areas at a "decent price".

"I think we strongly believe the terrestrial networks in India are very robust with 4G and 5G now in place. I don't think so that the satellite is needed for the urban areas, it is really for the far flung areas, and that's where the talk of administrative price has been kept in mind that the pricing should not be that high but in terrestrial they should ally with the terrestrial networks that's happening also in other parts of the world and I'm sure we'll be in the price points being in India what they are. we'll be able to deliver at far flung areas at a decent price," he argued.

On the much-discussed work-life balance matter that sparked widespread over the past few weeks among the working-class Indians, Mittal said his company's view is that one should be providing qualitative work output and not quantitative work output.

"At Airtel and at the Bharti Enterprise, everybody that comes as the owner, you know, owns the brand, works when it's, when it's desired," he added.

"Family is important, your health is important, yes so that's from saying you have to balance it out there is there's no saying anything different on that but I just say the qualitative output is important," Mittal continued.

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