Vi-AST SpaceMobile deal faces regulatory hurdle

Vodafone Idea’s recently announced partnership with AST SpaceMobile to deliver satellite-based direct-to-mobile (D2M) connectivity is likely to face regulatory and policy hurdles, making immediate rollout of the service highly unlikely.

According to analysts, unless the department of telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) initiate a separate consultation process to define spectrum sharing and leasing norms for hybrid satellite-terrestrial networks, the agreement will remain largely aspirational.