The 5G spectrum auction will happen within the stipulated timeline, and there will be no delays, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Telecom Minister of India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was supposed to submit the spectrum auction recommendations by March-end. But that hasn’t happened yet, and we are already a few days into April. Regardless, the recommendations should be out in a few days’ time, said a PTI report.
5G Spectrum Auction to Take Place as Per Schedule
Speaking to the reporters at the 2nd national conference on cybercrime, Vaishnaw said that the 5G auction would “absolutely” take place as per the defined time schedule, and there would be no delays. The private telecom operators are expected to launch 5G network services by the second half of 2022. For now, the industry is waiting for the TRAI to come out with the recommendations on the 5G spectrum auction. TRAI’s recommendations will play a major role in the development of the 5G ecosystem in India. In 2021, the regulator had released a consultation paper on understanding how the spectrum should be priced, what frequencies should be available, and more. For the first time, TRAI will also have to consider mmWave (millimetre wavelength) frequencies for the auction, and then there is the satellite communications (satcom) industry. Every telecom operator would be looking at the pricing of the spectrum in the upcoming auction. In the earlier auctions, telcos have ignored frequencies that were unreasonably high in cost. This time as well, if the spectrum is too expensive, the telcos will look to avoid purchasing the frequencies in high quantum. The telcos are already working on 5G and testing India relevant use cases with partners such as Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung in different parts of India, including Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Pune, Varanasi, and more. Going by the words of the TRAI official, it shouldn’t be long from now for the regulator to submit the recommendations.
