Telecom Ministry Approved Rs 5.22 Lakh Crore Spectrum Auction Plan

The Digital Communications Commission, the apex decision-making body at the telecom department, on Friday approved a Rs 5.22 lakh crore spectrum auction plan entailing 8300 MHz of airwaves across 22 circles and the sale is likely to take place in March-April.

"The DCC has today approved the recommendation of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). We are hopeful that auction shall be conducted in March-April," Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash said.

He said the auction will entail sale of over 8300 MHz of spectrum spread over all 22 telecom circles, the reserve price of which comes to Rs 5,22,850 crore.

The government did not reduce price of spectrum despite request from telecom operators.

"We are hopeful of healthy participation as demand for data is growing. Telecom operators need spectrum to further expand their network," Prakash said.

However, industry body COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said he does not see stressed balance sheet of telecom operators to give them appetite to bid for spectrum, especially for 5G services.