Broadcasting body seeks MIB intervention over C-band auction

Mumbai: The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF) has requested the government against auctioning spectrum in the C-band (3,700-4,200 MHz) since the same has been allocated for broadcasting services, and opening this band for 5G, 6G services will disrupt the TV broadcasting sector due to the likely interference of terrestrial transmissions with the satellite signals.

"We implore the government not to auction 3,700 MHz to 4,200 MHz band by virtue of the sanctity seemingly granted under NFAP-2018 to prevent complete decimation of the cable & satellite industry and the millions of TV consumers/viewers," IBDF president and head of Disney Star K Madhavan said in a letter to the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).

In the letter, which has also been copied to the Department of Telecommunications and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the IBDF president has also sought a meeting with the MIB for a detailed deliberation on the matter.

He further stated that the interference generated by 5G, 6G services in the C-band will impact thousands of cable TV headends across the country.

He added that the disruption in satellite signals will impact millions of consumers across the country, particularly in rural India.

"Most of the homes impacted will be in the middle- or lower-income groups, for whom TV is the only, and the most reasonable form of entertainment, information dissemination and education available," he stated.

The IBDF president contended that compromising the C-Band spectrum, being used by the broadcast industry, is not feasible since the spectrum used by the satellites is an orbitally designated spectrum and is not owned by the government of India for auction. He added that the frequencies for each orbital location are coordinated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and allocable by respective satellites.

"The Govt of India via WPC is a signatory to the ITU and is required to follow all procedures for coordination of all orbital locations and all frequencies used at each respective orbital location. Govt of India cannot allocate the users which use these satellite bands," he added.

Madhavan stated that the government cannot allocate the users who use these satellite bands as the satellite operators sign up the users for the use of the satellite under the Open Skies policies for the use of C-band.

"The contracts are signed directly between the broadcasters/ teleport operators and are paid for in foreign exchange. The Govt of India cannot either encroach on the frequency of these ITU coordinated satellite operators, nor assign any specific users who will use these frequencies," he said.

He also stated that the terrestrial auction of these bands will violate ITU commitments as satellite operators have been granted the right to use an orbital spectrum on a no-interference basis.

Madhavan said the broadcasting sector, unlike the telecom sector, does not avail any exclusive access to scarce spectrum.

He argued that granting frequency bands up to 3,800 MHz for 5G/6G services will result in over 20 Indian and Foreign satellites over India losing more than 60% of their available capacity.