Govt to auction 5G spectrum (total of 72097.85 MHz ) for 20 years

Last month, the Digital Communications Commission approved the auction of 5G airwaves. While mobile service providers had lobbied for 90 per cent reduction in the base price, it only recommended 36 per cent accepting the suggestion of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

“Payments for spectrum can be made in 20 equal annual installments to be paid in advance at the beginning of each year. This is expected to significantly ease cash flow requirements and lower the cost of doing business in this sector. The bidders would be given an option to surrender the spectrum after 10 years with no future liabilities with respect to balance installments,” the government announcement said.

“The availability of sufficient backhaul spectrum is also necessary to enable the roll-out of 5G services. To meet the backhaul demand, the Cabinet has decided to provisionally allot two carriers of 250 MHz each in E-band to the telecom service providers. The cabinet also decided to double the number of traditional microwave backhaul carriers in the existing frequency bands of 13, 15, 18 and 21 GHz bands,” it said.