It appears like India will have to wait a bit more for availing 5G services, as a recent notification from the country’s telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India stated that the upcoming auctions for 5G spectrum has high chances of getting delayed to a few months.
In a recent development, TRAI informed the Department of Telecommunications that it is unlikely for the regulator to submit the pricing recommendations as scheduled and could be done only by March 2022, which means the 5G spectrum auctions would be pushed to July next year.
5G Spectrum Auctions to be Delayed
TRAI has informed the telecom department that it will most likely be able to submit its pricing recommendations no sooner than March, which means that the upcoming 5G spectrum auctions will get shifted further.
As per government officials privy to the situation, in such a case, the auctions will get shifted from April-May to July 2022.
According to telecom service providers, it will take them six months to start offering 5G services to customers, from when the spectrum gets allotted, which means after July.
As a result, the rollout of mobile services based on 5G, starting first for select urban pockets will get pushed to 2023, from 2022.
“Trai will submit its final recommendations to the telecom department by March. The auctions in April-May are unlikely and a July timeframe is possible,” stated an official.
Telecom companies are prioritising urgency in 5G services rollout, with Reliance Jio’s chairman Mukesh Ambani stating that it should be made a ‘national priority.’
Moreover, the government too has been asking carriers to try and launch 5G services, at least asking carriers to try and launch 5G services on August 15, states an ET report.
On a reference from the DoT, TRAI has sought views on issues like applicable reserve price, band plan, block size, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in new bands such as 526-698 MHz and the millimetre wave band of 24.25-28.5 GHz, besides those in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz and 3300-3670 MHz bands, adds the report.
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