In a statement issued on Thursday, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the auction for the 5G spectrum is expected to take place in April or May of next year. He also stated that predicting a particular date for the future auction would be impossible at this point since a great deal will rely on how long the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will take to finalise its views on the matter in question. “However, as of today, we anticipate that it will be in April or May. I had already predicted the month of March. It will take time, though, because consultations are complicated and a wide range of perspectives are expected “he explained.
He had previously stated that the spectrum auctions were expected to take place in the first quarter of 2022, which was earlier this year. Besides the measures that were announced earlier in September, Vaishnaw said the administration will implement reforms that are not already in place.
He stated that the regulatory framework in the telecommunications industry should alter during the next two to three years. During his speech at the Times Now Summit 2021, Vaishnav stressed the importance of benchmarking India’s telecom industry regulation against the finest practices in the world.
For many years to come, the government wants to ensure that auctions remain technology-neutral, and it wants to provide a spectrum that is uniform across the board. “As a result, 4G and 5G may both be used in this situation. The thought goes beyond short-term considerations to include at least five to ten years in the future, as follows: “he explained.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has granted telecom providers an extension until May 2022 for the spectrum auctions, claiming a lack of preparation on their part. According to a report by the Economic Times, carriers believe that the present pricing for the average size of spectrum necessary to install 5G is prohibitively costly.
The deployment would need the acquisition of 100 megahertz of 5G spectrum in the 3.3-3.6 Ghz band. According to reports, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is talking with stakeholders and will forward their recommendations to the telecom department, which will have them reviewed by the Digital Communications Commission.
According to a source who spoke to the outlet, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has granted telecom service providers (TSPs) an extension for 5G testing for a duration of six months. An anonymous insider told the magazine that there is a lot of work to be done in terms of spectrum availability and quantum efficiency.
He was cited as arguing that the military and the International Space Station (ISRO) needed to relinquish a significant amount of spectrum. The Indian Ministry of Defence presently controls spectrum in the 3300-3400 MHz band, while the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) currently holds bandwidth in the 3400-3425 MHz range.
