The forthcoming Lok Sabha elections caused the Department of Telecom to postpone the spectrum auction by two weeks on April 3. According to the department’s revised Notice Inviting Application, the auction will now happen on June 6, two days after the election results are declared, instead of two weeks later.
The government intends to allot radio spectrum frequencies in the following bands: 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz. This will be done through auction. If the bands are sold for the base price, the government is expected to receive a payment of Rs 96,300 crore.
All that has changed, according to NIA, is the auction date. The department stated that all other terms of the sale are still in place. This auction round will also include any spectrum that was unsold previously as well as those that become available as a result of the operations closing.
The owner will have ownership rights over the bands for a 20-year period, and the spectrum bought through this auction will not be subject to spectrum usage fees. A practice auction is scheduled for June 3; applications must be submitted by April 22.
