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Representational image only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Auctions for telecommunications spectrum in the high-frequency bands of 800 megahertz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 gigahertz will be held on May 20, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on March 8, inviting bid applications from telecom operators. The auction was approved by the Union Cabinet in February.
While the reserve price of the spectrum on auction amounts to ₹96,317.65 crore, The Hindu businessline reported in January that this year’s round will be a “damp squib” as telecom operators generally stocked up on airwaves for 5G in 2022, and will choose to mostly renew expiring spectrum rights come May. DoT Secretary Neeraj Mittal told reporters in Barcelona earlier this year that the Government did not expect revenue on the lines of 2022’s ₹1.5 lakh crore.
Business Matters | Why the spectrum auctions are important for India
MSTC Ltd, formerly the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation, will be advising DoT on the auction. A pre-bid auction will take place on March 18, and mock auctions will take place on April 13 and 14.
“Existing licensees will be allowed to use the additional spectrum blocks assigned through this auction to deploy any technology by combining with their existing spectrum holding in the same band after converting their entire administratively assigned spectrum into liberalised spectrum in the same band,” the DoT said, indicating that telcos will have some flexibility in technologically managing the spectrum they acquire; however, “prior clearance” will be required in case they are using the spectrum for non-mainstream telecom services.
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