Spectrum Allotment

Telecom operators seek 5-6 year moratorium on spectrum purchases after 2025

Operators said such a moratorium is needed on spectrum bought in auctions from next year due to significant capital expenditure incurred in deploying 5G services

Govt application in SC 'doesn't seek' to change spectrum auction order

It has not sought permission for administratively allocating spectrum, say sources

DoT postpones spectrum auction by 17 days to June 6 due to elections

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has deferred the spectrum auction by 17 days to June 6 as per the amendments made in the notice inviting application for the bids on Wednesday. The department has also reduced bank guarantee and guarantee for earnest money deposit, in a move to ease liquidity for the bidders. According to the amendment, the new date for "start of the live auction" has been changed to June 6 -- after the announcement of the Lok Sabha results -- from May 20. The mock auctions will now be held on June 3 instead of May 13 and 14. The government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. The DoT has also reduced the number of blocks for auction in the 900 Mhz band in the West Bengal circle to 44 from 48 blocks that were proposed earlier. The validity of bank guarantee for earnest money deposit (EMD) in the form of bank guarantee will be valid for less period till September 30, 2024 instead of December 31, 2024,

Spectrum auction for eight bands to start from 20 May 2024: DoT notice

The upcoming spectrum auction will start from May 20, according to the notice inviting application released by the Department of Telecom on Friday. Government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of Rs 96,317.65 crore. Spectrum which is held by certain companies undergoing insolvency processes as well as frequencies expiring this year will also be put on auction.

Cabinet approves telecom spectrum auctions at base price of Rs 96,317.65 cr

A committee, to be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, will also be set up to finalise plans for re-farming of certain spectrum bands

Satcom firms to be allocated spectrum only for point-to-point connections

The government will allocate spectrum to satellite services companies only for point-to-point connection and not for direct transmission of services to retail consumers, sources said on Tuesday. The Telecommunications Bill, 2023 has proposed allocation of spectrum to satellite communication companies through the administrative method which means without auction. "The administrative allocation of spectrum to satellite companies will be for point-to-point connection only. If they will provide services like access service providers (mobile operators), then allocation will be through auction," a source who did not wish to be identified, said. He said the government will be open to amend the telecommunications law as per market dynamics and requirement.

US govt announces steps to free up more wireless spectrum for advanced tech

The White House has said additional spectrum is key to next-generation wireless service and a variety of advanced technology, infrastructure and government needs

6 GHz spectrum can be split between unlicensed and licensed use: Trai

The report noted that the United States' decision to make the full 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use has set a trend, influencing countries like Brazil and Saudi Arabia

VI pays 50% of spectrum usage, licence charges; struggles to raise funds

Vodafone Idea has found it difficult to raise funds in the past two years which has hurt its ability to expand its 4G network and begin the 5G rollout

Airtel prepays Rs 8,024 crore dues for spectrum to telecom department

The move is expected to help India's second-largest telco save on interest costs annually and improve cash flows

Companies may have to pay Rs 1,500 cr to start their own private network

The list of companies that want to establish their own private network includes names like Infosys, Tejas Networks, Capgemini, and Larsen & Toubro

Adopt int'l best practices for spectrum allocation: SIA-India to govt

Satellite industry body SIA-India on Friday said that it has suggested the Department of Telecom (Dot) to adopt international best practices for spectrum allocation. SatCom Industry Association of India has made a submission in response to the DoT's decision to bring out a new legal framework for the telecom sector. "The DoT has done a great job of trying to bring in amendments to keep pace with the technological developments and business trends. However, at some point, the amendments become too unwieldy and there could not be a better time to consider a new legal framework in the telecom sector," SIA-India President and Ananth Technologies chairman and managing director Subba Rao Pavuluri said in a statement. SIA-India has submitted six points for consideration of the DoT that includes "Spectrum allocation must be based on International best practices"; encouraging all digital communication technologies without a preference for limited technologies; connectivity to the remotest ...

SIA urges India to align with Europe, 120 nations on spectrum allocation

Satellite communications industry body SIA has written to the government urging it to align the radiowaves allocation policy with Europe and over 120 countries

Bharti Airtel concludes spectrum trading agreement with Jio; stock up 2.5%

Airtel has received Rs 1,004.8 crore (net of tax) from Jio for the proposed transfer.

Cabinet okays allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz band to Railways

The project will require over Rs 25,000 crore investment and be completed in 5 years

Spectrum acquisition has put us on "strong footing", says Vodafone India

Spectrum acquisition in recent auctions to fill certain gaps in some circles has put VIL on a "strong footing" to be competitive in market, a senior company official said

Airtel board to consider fund raising plans, financing strategies on Feb 3

The telecom sector is gearing up for spectrum auctions and roll-out of new-age technologies

Urgent need to revise 'out of line' spectrum pricing practices: BIF

The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has pitched for reviewing the spectrum auction rules for reserve prices, saying the current framework is "out-of-line" with international norms. The industry think-tank said where only limited data is available in the Indian context -- a case in point being the upcoming 5G spectrum auctions -- it recommends the use of international benchmarks, suitably adjusted (that is Average Revenue Per User adjusted) for the domestic market. "In the case of India, evidence highlighted in this report reveals the clear and present need to review the auction rules for reserve prices. We find the current reserve price determination framework to be out-of-line with international norms and show it to be a primary cause for the non-discovery of market prices in recent auctions," BIF said in a report. BIF, in the report titled 'Spectrum Pricing in India', said it would be advantageous for the country to revisit the methodology followed and make suitable revisions. Statin

DoT asks telcos to list spectrum needs as data demand surges in lockdown

According to COAI estimates, each telco would require about an additional 5MHz to ensure that the networks continue to function smoothly

Railways, DoT on different bandwidth over 700 Mhz spectrum allotment

The transporter wants premium spectrum for free; govt reluctant to lose revenue