Govt Expects To Raise Rs 45,471 Crore From Spectrum Auction

The government expects to fetch Rs 45,471 crore from from the spectrum auction as against Rs 40,847 crore it is estimated to have raised in FY2013-14.

In FY2014-15, the government revenue from communication services will consist of revenues from spectrum sale, licence fees and one-time spectrum charges, as per the budget proposals.

"Receipts under 'Other Communication Services' mainly relate to one-time spectrum charges levied as per the recommendations of TRAI, auction of 1800 MHz and 900 MHz spectrum and receipts from 800 MHz spectrum," the budget noted.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) collects licence fees from telecom operators licensed by it, besides one-time entry fees from new operators.

The government initially expected only Rs 11,300 crore from the spectrum auction in FY2012-13. In February, the government had put on the block about 385 MHz of radio-waves in the 1800 MHz band, and 46 MHz in the 900 MHz band. At the base price, that on aggregate amounted to about Rs 47,933 crore.