Telecom Regulatory Authority of India secretary V. Raghunandan said the spectrum reference given to the regulator covers multiple bands and thus involves detailed and detailed deliberations.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India secretary V. Raghunandan said the spectrum reference given to the regulator covers multiple bands and thus involves detailed and detailed deliberations.
Telecom regulator TRAI’s much-awaited recommendations on 5G spectrum pricing and other modalities will come out in the next 7-10 days, a senior official said on March 29. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) secretary V. Raghunandan told PTI That the spectrum reference given to the regulator covers multiple bands and thus involves detailed and detailed deliberation.
“We’re in Final steps and will come out soon with recommendations in 7-10 days,” Raghunandan said. TRAI’s views on spectrum pricing and other nuances are important as it will set the pace of the auction and subsequent roll-out of fifth-generation services that will usher in ultra-high-speed and give rise to new-age services and business models.
The telecom industry was expecting the regulator’s recommendations to come out by the end of March. The telecom regulator, at the end of November last year, had issued a detailed consultation paper To discuss the modalities for auctioning spectrum in multiple bands including pricing, quantity and other terms – laying the groundwork for the same Upcoming 5G Auction,
TRAI’s comprehensive consultation paper runs into 207 pages and presents 74 questions for industry-wide discussion, covering critical aspects such as valuation and reserve price of 5G spectrum, quantum of spectrum, block size, eligibility conditions to participate in the auction touches. obligations, spectrum cap, and surrender of spectrum.
In addition to bands such as 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500, new frequencies such as 526-698 MHz and millimeter bands 24.25 – 28.5 GHz will also be worked out. MHz, and 3300-3670 MHz.
In the final round of spectrum auction held in March 2021, 855.6 MHz of spectrum had won bids worth over Rs 77,800 crore. However, about 63 per cent of the total spectrum remained unsold.
As the country gears up for the mega auction, industry players are making an aggressive pitch to reduce spectrum pricing. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Randeep Sekhon recently made a vehement appeal for “affordable” pricing of 5G radio waves, saying the pricing “will play a very important role”.
“If operators are asked to buy very expensive spectrum, then naturally their cash flow will be limited, they will have to pay. But if it is very reasonable, it is quite possible that operators will rapidly increase the footprint of the same. Will bring money,” Mr Sekhon said last week.