5G Spectrum Auction Likely Slated For Early June

In India, 5G rollout is expected to happen sometime next year. There have been several reports claiming that the spectrum auction of 5G will take place in the second half of this year. However, there is no exact timeline that has been revealed by the government or the specific department. The changes have been revealed by Telecom Minister Ashwini Viashnaw has thrown some clarity regarding the auction timeline.

5G Spectrum Timeline

The Minister stated that the Department of Telecom is working as per the timeline and the process of resolving concerns related to the spectrum pricing is being worked out. The government is likely to host a 5G spectrum in early June, as per Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Indian telecom minister.

He added on the spectrum auction will take some time in early June. At the specified timeline, the stage for the 5G network rollout will be set up across the country. The minister stated that they are very much as per the timeline to host the 5G spectrum auction. Notably, the mega auction is all set to be valued at 7.5 lakh crore at the base price across several brands for radio waves that have been allocated over three decades.

Furthermore, it was added that the Digital Communications Commission will decide on the TRAI recommendation and approach them for any further clarification. It has recommended a mega auction plan of more than Rs. 7.5 lakh crore for over 1 lakh MHz spectrum in case the government allocates the same for a period of over three decades. However, if it is two decades, then the value of the proposed spectrum auction will be Rs. 5.07 lakh crore.

While TRAI has reduced the cost of the spectrum by nearly 39% as compared to the previous price. The telecom operators have opined that the recommended rates are quite higher than that of global benchmarks. It is speculated that once the spectrum pricing issue has been resolved, the auction timeline will be announced officially to the public.

Already, the telecom operators Airtel, Jio and Vi have conducted 5G trials in select cities across the country. They are all set to rollout the network after the spectrum formalities are over.