The Department of Telecom is expected to issue the notice for the upcoming spectrum auction this week that will have timelines and rules to bid for airwaves.
The Union Cabinet approved a proposal for the auction of 2,251.25 Megahertz (MHz) of spectrum worth Rs 3.92 lakh crore at the base price on December 17, 2020. The Department of Telecom was expected to issue the Notice Inviting Application (NIA) for the auction in December but due to an emergency engagement of a top authority, it got delayed. "The NIA is almost ready.
It should be out this week," a DoT official, who did not wish to be named, told to media. The Digital Communications Commission, the apex decision making body of the DoT, in May last year approved the spectrum auction plan worth Rs 5.22 lakh crore which included radiowaves for 5G services as well.
A part of the 300 MHz of spectrum identified by the DoT for 5G services is being used by the Navy, and the Department of Space has also made claims. The industry has also been demanding the government to lower the base price of 5G spectrum as each operator will need to shell out around Rs 50,000 crore for the required quantum of radio waves for the next-generation services.
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