Telecom spectrum auction is unlikely to be
held this fiscal year due to delay in
recommendations over pricing from the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI ), official sources said. The
government had pegged revenue from
communication services, which includes
upfront realization from spectrum sale and
license fee, at Rs 42,865.62 crore for the
current fiscal year.
“The Department of Telecom needs
between 120-180 days to prepare for
auction after spectrum pricing
recommendations are received from the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India,” a
Department of Telecom (DoT) official said.
The official said introduction of new
guidelines like sharing and trading of
spectrum along with proposal on
frequency cap will also have impact on
new rules which need time for
deliberation after recommendations from
the regulator are received. The DoT has
asked TRAI to give recommendations on
pricing of all telecom radio waves,
including frequencies in the most-
premium band of 700 Mhz as well as
spectrum held by around six licenses that
are expiring in 2017.
TRAI is expected to start public
consultation process on spectrum pricing
in the coming week. According to official
sources, the regulator is likely to give its
recommendations by January next year.
Official sources, however, said that delay
in spectrum auction this fiscal is unlikely
to impact projected revenue from telecom
services for this fiscal year.
DoT officials said projected revenue of Rs
42,865.62 crore from communication
services for the current financial year
would be achieved even without proceeds
from spectrum auction. The revenue from
communication services includes around
Rs 18,000 crore payments from telecom
operators this fiscal year for the auction
that was conducted in March 2015.
source: Spectrum auctions unlikely to be held in FY’16 | Latest Tech News, Video & Photo Reviews at BGR India
