5G spectrum auction may turn out to be a short affair, say telcos

In the run-up to the much-awaited 5G spectrum auction, the first part of a series looks back to find a pattern

Telcos participating in the upcoming auctions at the end of July say they expect only a fourth of the value of spectrum on offer to be sold.

The government has put Rs 4.3 trillion of spectrum up for sale at the base price across seven bands including for 5G. An executive of a leading telco said he estimates that mobile operators collectively would buy spectrum of only around Rs 1.1 trillion.

This low share, he said, is because telcos will concentrate in this auction ‘’primarily on buying 5G spectrum’’ as they want to roll out services by end of this year. "So