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Defence ministry’s 2.1-GHz airwaves could be included in this summer’s auction, source says.
India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is negotiating with the defence ministry to free up 15 MHz of frequencies earmarked for 3G services in time for this summer’s spectrum auction.
The spectrum – in the 2.1 GHz band – could be put up for auction in July, if the Ministry of Defence is able to make it available in time, the Economic Times quoted an unnamed source as saying on Friday.
The process will involve the exchange of the same amount of spectrum in the 1900 MHz band for the defence ministry’s airwaves, the paper said.
The spectrum swap engendered much debate ahead of last year’s frequency auction in India. The state pushed ahead with plans to sell off 5 MHz of 2.1-GHz spectrum in March 2015, despite opposition from major telcos, who were calling for the government to wait until it had its hands on all the potential 3G frequencies.
Those 5 MHz raised 101.15 billion rupees (€1.35 billion, at current exchange rates).
For 2.1-GHz spectrum included in the upcoming auction, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested a reserve price of INR37.47 billion per MHz, nationwide.
The auction as a whole – which covers multiple spectrum bands – could raise as much as INR5.36 trillion for government coffers, the Economic Times noted.
