Direct-to-Device satellite connectivity can transform disaster communication and last-mile inclusion. Discuss the regulatory and technological challenges in its rollout in India.

Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity lets an ordinary phone connect straight to a satellite, without a mobile tower. TRAI's November 2026 recommendations on the Satellite Communication Network (SCN) Provider Authorisation open two D2D routes: MSS-based (L and S bands) and IMT-based [1]. D2D could do a great deal, but how fast it reaches people depends on clearing regulatory and technological barriers.

Transformative potential

• Disaster resilience: satellite links keep working when cyclones or floods knock out land-based networks [1].
• Last-mile inclusion: D2D can reach remote, hilly and island areas where towers and fibre are too costly [1].
• Capital-light model: through SCN-as-a-Service, service providers can buy satellite capacity without owning satellite fleets [1].

Regulatory challenges

• Weak legal protection: IMT-based D2D runs on a non-interference, non-protection basis under Article 4.4 of the ITU Radio Regulations, ahead of WRC-27 [1]. It must not disturb other users, and it has no protection if they disturb it. This makes it a fragile base for a disaster backup.
• Consent veto: IMT-based D2D needs the consent of IMT channel holders in all 22 licensed service areas [1]. A single refusal blocks a nationwide service, which lets competing operators decide whether a rival can enter.
• Pending NFAP amendment: MSS must first be added as a secondary service in NFAP 2025 [1].
• Pricing and parity: under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, spectrum goes by auction by default. Satellite spectrum is assigned administratively as an exception [2]. Mobile operators who paid at auction want a level playing field. The Rs 3,500/MHz/year minimum charge [1] therefore has to ensure fair value, as an auction would have done. This revives the concerns raised by the 2G case.
• Executive discretion: the government can add to the First Schedule's non-auction list by notification, which is only laid before Parliament [3].

Technological challenges

• Handset readiness: MSS in the L and S bands is already listed in the First Schedule [4]. However, most phones lack MSS-band modules, and the government will only "encourage" manufacturers to add them [1].
• Interference control: an India-specific footnote and aggregate electric field strength limits are needed to protect existing mobile networks [1].
• Band constraints: NGSO systems get no C band for FSS user links [1]. Feeder and user links are also assigned separately, which adds coordination work.
• Physical limits: a phone's small antenna supports messaging and voice more than broadband.

D2D can make connectivity resilient and universal, but only if its regulatory and technological gaps are closed together. DoT should promptly amend NFAP and notify the SCN rules. It should also publish how the spectrum price is calculated, guarantee protected D2D access during emergencies, and require MSS-ready handsets in disaster-prone regions. Together, these steps would advance SDG 9.c on universal, affordable access and make satellite links a true lifeline for Digital India.