Mittal wants 5G spectrum auction delayed

It is official now. After a briefing by Airtel’s leadership team at a recent analyst meet, Brokerage BNP Paribas said Airtel’s top management feels that the telecom industry balance sheet “cannot support (5G spectrum bids) at this point,” which is why, it feels a 5G auction is “unlikely any time soon”. The foreign brokerage said, Airtel management also feels “5G will not completely replace 4G as a technology since 5G use cases such as remote surgery to driverless cars are not practical in the Indian context”.