Broadcasters and teleport operators have expressed concerns to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) about the potential negative impact of reducing the bandwidth available to C-band communication satellites. They believe that shrinking the spectrum from 500 MHz to 200 MHz will harm their business.
Currently, the broadcasting services are allotted the C-band spectrum within the 3700-4200 MHz range.
The MIB recently reached out to broadcasters and teleport operators to gather information on whether their current and future assignments can be accommodated within the 4000-4200 MHz range.
The industry has raised its objections, stating that reducing the C-band spectrum would require them to invest in additional teleports as the current network would be insufficient to accommodate the existing and additional TV channels within the 4000-4200 MHz range.
Meanwhile, the Department of Telecom (DoT) plans to make the 3700-4200 MHz spectrum band available to telecom operators for 5G/6G services.
Broadcasters and teleport operators have submitted that reducing the C-band bandwidth to 200 MHz (4000-4200 MHz) would result in a 60% reduction in sector capacity, equating to 40 transponders. They argue that such a move would force the industry to migrate to higher frequencies.
According to the stakeholders, shifting TV channels from the 3700–4200 MHz range to the 4000–4200 MHz range is not feasible, and the 4000–4200 MHz spectrum can only support 10 transponders. Hence, an additional five satellites in the 4000-4200 MHz band would be required to accommodate 40 transponders. They also argue that it would take at least 10 years to add more capacity and that satellite operators have no incentive to invest in the smaller C-band spectrum.
T V Ramachandran, President of the Broadband India Forum, emphasizes that broadcasters and teleport operators have been legitimate users of this spectrum, fulfilling their obligations and duties to provide public broadcasting and entertainment. He states that a 60% reduction in capacity would severely impact service quality for consumers and increase the cost per channel.
A prominent TV broadcasting executive believes that the DoT’s decision to allocate C-band spectrum for telecom services serves the telecom lobby’s interests but threatens to destroy the broadcasting industry. The executive raises concerns about the future of broadcasting in India, particularly for news channels and smaller broadcasters. They also worry about the emergence of a vertically integrated entity spanning telecom and broadcasting sectors, calling for policies and regulations to prevent such a monopoly.
Furthermore, the broadcasters argue that reducing or limiting the C-band spectrum would create congestion as demand for the 4000-4200 MHz bandwidth increases.
They suggest that the government explore options such as millimeter waves or other vacant frequency bands for 5G services to avoid disrupting the broadcast industry.
The Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) recently requested that the government refrain from auctioning spectrum in the C-band (3700 to 4200 MHz), as it is currently allocated for broadcasting services. They argue that opening this band for 5G/6G services could disrupt TV broadcasting due to potential terrestrial transmission interference with satellite signals.
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