India, Dec. 9 -- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Monday rejected the government's view that satellite communication (satcom) operators should be charged a 5 per cent annual spectrum fee instead of the 4 per cent it had recommended, and also declined to waive a Rs 500 per-connection fee for urban areas.

In its response to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Trai reiterated its original recommendations, stating that adopting the DoT's position could disadvantage potential users in rural regions by limiting access to satellite-based services.

Trai disagreed with the DoT's proposal, submitted as a back reference to Trai's earlier recommendations, to increase the annual spectrum fee for satcom operators to 5 per c...