Spectrum auctions to be held this year
Union Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the government plans to hold auctions for spectrum, including for 5G services, in the current calendar year. He added that the government intends to begin 5G trials in the next 100 days. The decision is significant as spectrum auctions are a major source of revenue — the 2016-17 auctions yielded ₹65,789 crore. However, major telecom firms have opposed putting 5G spectrum on sale, arguing that the industry needs time to develop India-specific use cases for the next-generation technology. They also pointed out that prices recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are too high for the financially stressed sector. Mr. Prasad said he would soon hold discussions with industry representatives on the challenges they face and work on addressing them.
