Trai floats paper on auction of 12,000 MHz radio waves across 10 spectrum bands

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) Telecom regulator Trai has floated a consultation paper to explore pricing and norms for the auction of over 12,000 megahertz of radiowaves across 10 spectrum bands, used for 4G and 5G services, an official statement said on Tuesday.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has also sought views on the auction of spectrum in the 6 GHz frequency band, for which both mobile service providers and WiFi players have been fighting to secure a higher chunk of radio waves for their services.

The consultation paper follows a request from the Department of Telecom dated May 15 to TRAI for providing recommendations on applicable reserve price, band plan, block size, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in the frequency range for mobile telephony.

"A consultation paper on 'Auction of Radio Frequency Spectrum in the Frequency Bands Identified for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)' has been placed on the TRAI's website for seeking comments and counter-comments from stakeholders," Trai said in a statement.

The DoT has again sought recommendation of Trai on 600 Mhz band. The regulator had in April 2022 suggested auction of 600 Mhz band which was put for auction held in August same year but remained unsold as the equipment and device ecosystem was not developed at that time.

The spectrum in lower spectrum bands like 600 Mhz can provide wider coverage because signals transmitted in these frequencies can travel long distance, penetrate objects effectively including inside buildings.

The radiowaves in 600 Mhz band has the potential to enhance terrestrial mobile coverage, particularly in rural and far-flung areas and also to fill the in-building coverage gaps in urban areas.

The other frequency ranges on which Trai has invited views include 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, 26 GHz bands. The spectrum is segregated into bands and identified for various services that can be operated at the international level, such as TV transmission, mobile telephony, satellite services, etc.

Trai has fixed October 28 as the last date for comments on the paper and November 11 for the counter comments.

At present, the spectrum in the 700 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands is being used by mobile telephony operators to provide 5G services in India while 800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz, 2300 Mhz and 2500 Mhz bands are being used for 4G services.

Lower frequency bands are considered for wider coverage of voice calls, and higher frequency bands are considered fit for providing high-speed data services.

The DoT has also sought recommendations on the auction unsold 30 MHz radiowaves in the premium 700 MHz spectrum band, 400 MHz in the 6 GHz band and another 67 MHz spectrum between 1427-1518 MHz frequency band.

While the government has decided to make 500 MHz of spectrum in the lower frequency range of the 6 GHz band freely available for low-power applications, it is exploring auctioning 400 MHz of radiowaves in the upper frequency range of the same band.

The process for the next round of spectrum auction has started a year after the sale of radio waves received tepid response from the industry.

The government in June 2024 had placed 10,522.35 MHz of spectrum for auction with a base value of Rs 96,238.45 crore. Out of this, only 141.40 MHz was sold with a bid amounting to Rs 11,340.79 crore. PTI PRS MR MR