Pricing rationale

5G can take India to another level

The telecom regulator’s latest recommendation on 5G spectrum auction is in sync with the steps taken by the government recently to ensure the sector’s revival. By suggesting around a 36 per cent reduction in the base price for the 3.3 to 3.6 GHz spectrum band catering to 5G services and 40 per cent for the premium 700 MHz band, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has responded to a loud call for change. Trai’s recommendation of 2018, pegging the mid-band 5G reserve price at Rs 492 crore a unit, was termed exorbitantly high by various stakeholders. In the backdrop