India being world’s second largest telecommunications market is
planning to roll out 5G mobile services within 2022-23 by telecom
providers and the groundwork for spectrum auctions in 2022 has
already started.
According to Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a report by The
Hindu newspaper, the 5G spectrum auctions in India are on track as
planned, despite telecom operators and their lobbying groups
raising concerns about high prices.
“The spectrum pricing recommended by TRAI is too high. Industry
recommended a 90% lower price, and to see only about a 35-40%
reduction recommended in prices, therefore is deeply
disappointing,” industry group Cellular Operators Association of
India (COAI) had said reacting to the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India’s (TRAI) 5G spectrum auction recommendations.
Vaishnaw believes 5G service rollout will happen in August or
September, which seems a little optimistic given that telecom
companies in the past have said they would need six months from the
spectrum auction to roll out their 5G services.
That being said, given that telcos have been given extended time —
most recently, up to May 2022 — to test their 5G networks, it could
be possible for them to fast-track the commercial rollout of 5G.
Or, like Jio has done in the past with beta testing its 4G-only
network, telcos could roll out 5G services in a limited manner
before a wider commercial rollout.
That the government is keen to roll out the 5G services is evident
with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her budget speech,
announcing that 5G mobile services would be rolled out within
2022-23.
“All leading telecom companies, including Airtel, Reliance Jio and
Vi are testing their 5G networks under different trials. The
government is also discussing with telcos and other stakeholders on
the spectrum auctions that will be undertaken this year,” she had
said.
This has opened up opportunity for collaboration with like-minded
partners including Australia and Japan. India had earlier
side-stepped intense efforts by China to explore introducing 5G as
that would have compromised India’s privacy and security.
In the recent communications, telecom sector watchdog TRAI detailed
its plan to put on auction around Rs.7.5 lakh crore worth airwaves
across multiple bands.
The TRAI in this mega auction has planned to put on auction
spectrum bands All available spectrum in existing bands viz. 700
MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz and
new spectrum bands viz. 600 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz and 24.25-28.5 GHz,
be put to auction.
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