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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) confirms that auctions for 4G spectrum in the 700, 800, 900, 1,800, 2,100, 2,300, and 2,500 MHz bands will begin from March 1
Highlights
- The last spectrum auctions were held in 2016, when the government offered 2,354.55 MHz at a reserve price of Rs 5.60 lakh crore.
- Although the government managed to sell only 965 MHz – or about 40 per cent of the spectrum that was put up for sale
- The total value of bids received was just Rs 65,789 crore, the need for a new spectrum auction has arisen because the validity of the airwaves bought by companies is set to expire in 2021.
- In the spectrum auctions scheduled to begin on March 1, the government plans to sell spectrum for 4G in the 700, 800, 900, 1,800, 2,100, 2,300, and 2,500 MHz frequency bands.
- The reserve price of all these bands together has been fixed at Rs 3.92 lakh crore.
What is Spectrum?
- Spectrum relates to the radio frequencies allocated to the mobile industry and other sectors for communication over the airwaves.
- Because the mobile industry has demonstrated — time and time again — its potential to generate economic value and social benefit, operators are urging national regulators to release sufficient, affordable spectrum in a timely manner for mobile.
- Additional frequencies, including both coverage and capacity bands, means mobile operators can connect more people and offer faster speeds.
Source: Indian Express
