Spectrum auction likely in March-April, no cut in 5G pricing
By MYBRANDBOOK
The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) on Friday gave its green signal for the ₹5.22-lakh-crore spectrum auction plan involving 8300 MHz of airwaves across 22 circles. The spectrum sale is likely to take place in March-April.
The decision however marks no change in the pricing of the spectrum finalised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications told reporters post the DCC meeting that the bids for the spectrum will be opened on January 13.
Of the total spectrum available, 6,050 MHz will be available for 5G. The government has kept aside 225MHz of 4G spectrum for BSNL and the Railways, Prakash said.
“We are also auctioning spectrum which are going to be vacated because, since the auction was held in 2016, networks have expanded...more bandwidth is required...density of telephone is increasing/ usage/data is increasing and some licences are also expiring. So, it was decided that all spectrum be put to auction,” he said.
The additional spectrum made available following the expiry of licence, will come from Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel in eight circles and Vodafone and Idea Cellular in four circles each.
In the upcoming auctions, DCC is making the upfront payment for the immediate available spectrum simpler. Successful bidders will be required to make only 10 per cent upfront payment for sub-1 GHz band and 20 per cent for above 1 GHz band for the set of spectrum that will not be available after 6 or 12 months and balance before 1 month of their availability.
“Telecom operators will have to make upfront payment of 25 and 50 per cent only for spectrum that will be available within a month from the auction,” Prakash reiterated.
Given their financial condition, operators including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone-Idea had opposed the auctions. In particular, operators found the pricing of the 700 MHz, which is fixed at ₹6,568 crore, too high though it had been brought down from the ₹11,485 crore set in the 2016 auction (it remained unsold then).
Reacting to the announcement, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said the DCC’s decision to proceed with spectrum auctions in the near future is fraught with challenges.
“With spectrum reserve prices four to six times higher than that of similar spectrum sold recently in several countries, and with high levels of debt and prevailing financial stress in the sector, telecom service providers will find it very difficult to raise funds to participate in the auctions,” Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI, said.
BREAKING NEWS
TECHNO TRENDS
Nazara and ONDC set to transform in-game monetization with ‘
Nazara Technologies has teamed up with the Open Network for Digital Comme...
Jio Platforms and NICSI to offer cloud services to government
In a collaborative initiative, the National Informatics Centre Services In...
BSNL awards ₹5,000 Cr Project to RVNL-Led Consortium
A syndicate led by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (abbreviated as RVNL), along wi...
Pinterest tracks users without consent, alleges complaint
A recent complaint alleges that Pinterest, the popular image-sharing platf...
E-Magazine
TECHNOTAINMENT
Netflix adds 'Moments' feature for saving, sharing scenes from
Netflix has introduced a new “Moments” feature on its mobile app, whic
Jacqueline Fernandez come together with YouTuber Mr. Beast for
Jacqueline Fernandez has partnered with American YouTuber Mr. Beast to b
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Visa elevates Rishi Chhabra as new Country Manager for India
Rishi holds a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from The Ohio State Univ
Genesys welcomes Albert Nel as Senior VP and Regional Sales Le
Genesys continues to deepen its investment in the APAC region. Earlier this
OPEN YOUR EYES
INTERVIEWS
Cisco building a trusted and resilient future for the nation
Security is foundational to everything Cisco does and customers insist on e
Autodesk continually pushing the boundaries in the Design and
Autodesk’s vision is of a better world designed and made for all. It inte
HOT PICK
SonicWall Launches TZ80: A Powerful Solution for Remote Office
SonicWall announced today the launch of the TZ80, a groundbreaking securit
Gigabyte X3D Turbo: A Gaming Revolution
GIGABYTE X3D Turbo Mode is a cutting-edge feature that unifies cores distr
MAKE IN INDIA BRANDS
ZOHO CORPORATION PVT. LTD.
DATA SAFEGUARD INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
HAVELLS INDIA LTD.
MICROTEK INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD.
EMINENT CIO'S OF INDIA
ICONS OF INDIA
Icons Of India : B.V.R. Subrahmanyam
A 1987 batch (Chhattisgarh cadre) Indian Administrative Service Office...
Icons Of India : PRATIVA MOHAPATRA
Prativa is a transformational leader with an incredible breadth of exp...
Icons Of India : Debjani Ghosh
Debjani Ghosh is the President of the National Association of Software...
PARTNER SPEAKERS
PSU
IREDA - Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited
IREDA is a specialized financial institution in India that facilitates...
IOCL - Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
IOCL is India’s largest oil refining and marketing company ...
ECIL - Electronics Corporation of India Limited
ECIL is distinguished by its diverse technological capabilities and it...
VIDEOS
Top 25 Brands
Global Indian industry
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - George Kurian, CEO, Netapp
George Kurian, the CEO of global data storage and management services ...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO- Micron Technology
Sanjay Mehrotra, the President and CEO of Micron Technology, is at the...
Indian Tech Talent Excelling The Tech World - Lal Karsanbhai, President & CEO, Emerson
Lal Karsanbhai, President and CEO of Emerson, assumed the leadership i...
STARNITE AWARDS 2024
ITFORUM 2024
CMO of the Year
WOMEN LEADERSHIP
IMAGE GALLERY
TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY
MORE VIDEOS
ADVERTISEMENTS
TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTION
UNICORNS REVOLUTIONISING
