Don't overprice

5G spectrum pricing can't be at the cost of the industry

The ball is in the telecom regulator’s court once again to decide the course of the industry at a challenging juncture. Last week, the Digital Communications Commission (earlier Telecom Commission) had asked the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to review its 5G spectrum recommendations of August 2018, including the steep reserve price set by it then. While the DCC, the highest decision-making body in the government on telecom, took the right step in sending the one-year-old recommendations back to the regulator, keeping in view the stressed financials of the telcos and the overall low-key investment climate, it’s up to