India Proposes Satellite Access to 6 Terrestrial Mobile Bands for Direct-to-Device

TRAI Opens Door to Satellite Use of Terrestrial Mobile Spectrum

India's Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended on 5 November 2026 that satellite direct-to-device services be permitted to use six terrestrial IMT bands — 600, 700, 800, 900, 1800, and 2100 MHz — on a non-interference, non-protection basis. The proposal would let satellite operators provide basic connectivity to standard mobile handsets without waiting for the ITU's WRC-27 coordination process, creating a faster regulatory path than most markets have taken.

The recommendation is part of a broader framework for satellite communication network provider authorisations, including 20-year terms and coverage of fixed satellite service, mobile satellite service, satellite D2D using MSS spectrum, and satellite D2D using terrestrial IMT spectrum. This is a regulatory proposal, not a commercial service. India's Department of Telecommunications and other government bodies must still decide whether and how to implement it.

What It Means for Enterprise Connectivity Planning

The proposed framework could allow satellite operators such as Starlink to partner with Indian mobile operators, while giving carriers such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel a path to extend basic connectivity beyond terrestrial coverage. The enterprise impact depends on whether regulators approve the framework and how vendors choose to deploy it.

Buyers with remote facilities, logistics fleets, utilities, mining operations, emergency-response teams, and offshore assets should treat this as a possible future coverage and resilience option, not as an immediate procurement choice. The recommendation could reduce the need for separate satellite terminals for low-bandwidth connectivity in areas where terrestrial networks do not reach. However, enterprises must still assess device availability, service-level commitments, security, lawful-interception requirements, interference risk, and whether terrestrial operators or satellite providers will control the customer relationship.

No enterprise pricing, deployment volume, or commercial launch date is established. The key near-term risk is regulatory and ecosystem uncertainty: terrestrial operators may gain a competitive advantage through partnerships, while satellite providers face unresolved coordination and interference constraints.

Industry Split on IMT Spectrum Access

Starlink explicitly supported allowing D2D over IMT spectrum in its TRAI submission, arguing that the regulatory path should not depend on ITU coordination timelines. Reliance Industries argued that IMT-spectrum D2D may be premature and favored MSS-spectrum approaches, reflecting concerns about interference and competitive dynamics. Bharti Airtel's submission indicated interest in satellite partnerships but emphasized the need for clear interference management rules.

The split reveals competing interests: satellite operators want regulatory flexibility to deploy services quickly, while terrestrial operators want to protect existing network investments and maintain control over customer relationships. The framework TRAI proposed attempts to balance these interests by requiring non-interference commitments from satellite providers, but the technical and commercial viability of that approach remains unproven at scale.

What to Watch

Enterprises should monitor three decisions in the next six months. First, whether India's Department of Telecommunications adopts TRAI's recommendation and what modifications it makes to the non-interference and non-protection terms. Second, whether terrestrial operators announce satellite partnerships and at what price points. Third, whether satellite providers publish service specifications, including latency, throughput, device compatibility, and coverage maps for IMT-band D2D services.

Avoid counting on satellite-to-phone connectivity for committed business continuity or branch-connectivity plans until India issues final rules and vendors publish service specifications. The recommendation matters more for future network architecture and vendor strategy than for current-year budgets. If implemented, it would shift the competitive boundary between mobile operators and satellite providers in India, but that shift is not yet certain.