HIGHLIGHTS
- The TRAI's complete consultation document was 207 pages long.
- Norms for additional frequencies such as 526-698MHz will also be developed.
- 5G experiments are underway in locations such as Delhi and Mumbai, among others.
The sale of 5G spectrum would go place on time and within the parameters set, said Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday.
His confirmation comes at a time when telecom regulator TRAI's 5G recommendations on spectrum price and other subtleties, which were generally expected to be released by the end of March, have been pushed back to early April. When asked if the 5G auction will go place on time, Vaishnaw said, "definitely."
He was speaking to reporters on the margins of a seminar called the 2nd National Conference on Cybercrime Investigation and Digital Forensics.
The spectrum auctions are scheduled to take place in 2022 in order to support the launch of 5G mobile services by private telecom companies between 2022 and 2023.
The TRAI's opinions on the 5G auction and associated issues are critical because they will serve as building blocks and set the pace for the auctions and subsequent deployment of fifth-generation services, ushering in ultra-high-speed and spawning new-age services and business models.
A senior TRAI official told PTI on March 29 that the recommendations (on 5G spectrum price and other procedures) will be released within the next 7-10 days.
In November of last year, the telecom regulator issued a lengthy consultation document outlining the methods for auctioning spectrum across several bands, including pricing, quantum, and other criteria - laying the framework for potential 5G auctions.
The TRAI's comprehensive consultation paper was 207 pages long and posed 74 questions for industry-wide discussion, covering topics such as 5G spectrum valuation and reserve price, quantum of the spectrum, block size, eligibility conditions for participation in the auction, rollout obligations, spectrum cap, and spectrum surrender.
Norms will also be developed for new frequencies such as 526-698MHz and the millimetre band 24.25-28.5GHz, as well as bands such as 700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz, 2500MHz, and 3300-3670MHz.
As the UK prepares for the big auction, industry participants have been making a strong case for cheaper spectrum price.
Telecom service providers are conducting 5G trials in urban, semi-urban, and rural locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Gurugram, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Pune, and Varanasi.
