State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is keen on having 112 MHz spectrum re-assigned by the Government in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum band, as per a fresh disclosure by the Ministry of Communications. BSNL’s spectrum holding in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands have expired last year in the month of February 2020.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had earlier this year during Spectrum Auction 2021 stated that it was considering the request from BSNL for re-assignment of spectrum holdings in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum bands. The new disclosures from the Ministry of Communications have laid out the bare details of the re-assignment request from BSNL.
BSNL has asked for a re-assignment of 6 MHz in the 1800 MHz spectrum band. The state-run telco wants 2 MHz each re-assigned in the 1800 MHz band in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Kerala telecom circle. BSNL held 47.4 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz band out of which the latter only wants 6 MHz re-assigned. As per DoT, BSNL had recently surrendered 41.4 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz spectrum band ahead of the Spectrum Auction 2021 that was put to auction via an amendment to the NIA.
BSNL has additionally asked for a re-assignment of 106 MHz in the 900 MHz spectrum band. The state-run telco was initially assigned 125.8 MHz in the 900 MHz spectrum band. As per DoT, BSNL and MTNL had combined surrendered 17.4 MHz spectrum in the 900 MHz spectrum band of the Spectrum Auction 2021 with BSNL’s share of spectrum surrendered at 15 MHz.
BSNL wants 5 MHz each re-assigned in Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, North East, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh (East), and Uttar Pradesh (West) telecom circle in the 900 MHz spectrum band. In Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal BSNL wants 5.6 MHz each re-assigned in the 900 MHz spectrum band. Lastly, in Kerala BSNL wants 6.2 MHz re-assigned in the 900 MHz spectrum band.
