India, June 22 -- India has taken another step towards implementing the Telecommunications Act, 2023, with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) releasing draft rules that set out how spectrum can be assigned administratively rather than through auctions. While the proposed framework provides greater clarity for several established telecom and broadcasting services, it leaves one of the industry's most closely watched questions unresolved: how spectrum will be allocated to next-generation satellite broadband providers.

The draft rules outline the eligibility criteria, spectrum assignment conditions and charging mechanisms for entities that receive spectrum through administrative allocation. The framework primarily covers government-...