5G spectrum auctions in India may get delayed once again

• The 5G spectrum auctions were expected to take place in June.
• 5G spectrum auctions may reportedly be delayed again.
• The delay could be delayed due to divergent views of telecom operators and tech giants seeking a private network.

The much awaited 5G spectrum auctions that were expected to take place later this month may get delayed once again. The commercial rollout of 5G services is already behind schedule due to the delays in spectrum auction.

According to a report by BusinessLine, divergent views of telecom service providers and tech giants seeking a private network may have delayed the 5G spectrum auctions.

Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said that the 5G spectrum auctions will begin in June.

The government had earlier ruled out the allocation of 5G spectrum to private network providers. The companies have reportedly approached the government through industry bodies.

The private companies have claimed that not including in the auction will damage the process of digitization of the economy and adversely impact the competitiveness of Indian products in the global market.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) submitted its recommendations, which were approved by the Digital Communications Commission (DCC) on May 17.

The cabinet is yet to approve TRAI’s proposals and it takes around 45 days from approval to begin the auctions. Once the proposal is approved, an agency is hired to conduct the auctions, terms and conditions are prepared, the notice inviting applications are issued and meetings are conducted with the stakeholders.

So even if the proposal is approved immediately, it will not be possible to complete the auctions in June.

Broadband India Forum has approached the government

According to the report, the Broadband India Forum (BIF) which represents members such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, Qualcomm, Reliance and Adani groups have approached the government, asking them to “keep overall digitization aspirations and interests in mind”.

“We should think of the country, the consumer...it is the benefit of the consumer, efficiency of the enterprise and finally the improvement of the economy. It (spectrum) is strictly for captive usage for improvement of efficiency,” said TV Ramachandran, president, BIF.

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