India’s Department of Telecoms is expected this week to issue applications for its upcoming 4G spectrum auctions to interested parties.
The Economic Times reported that once the DoT had provided the invitations to major players Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, the auctions would take place within around 45 to 60 days, around March. The sale was originally scheduled to take place in 2020.
The terms for the auction were cleared in December 2020, with around 2250MHz of spectrum across seven bands to be made available. The permits themselves will be valid for 20 years, with the auction expected to raise INR3.9 trillion ($53.3 billion).
Tomorrow (6th January), the DoT is holding a consultation with local operators, vendors and major international tech groups such as Apple, Facebook and Google. The aim is to use the advice and feedback to develop India’s long-term spectrum strategy, particularly with regard to selecting spectrum bands for 5G use.
In October 2020, the government set up a panel tasked with addressing these issues. Members include the ministers of telecommunications and defence, as well as industry representatives.
