5G kept out of the offer as Cabinet okays telecom spectrum auction

The Centre on Wednesday set the ball rolling for 4G auction that is expected to fetch the exchequer Rs 3.92 trillion by offering 2,251 megahertz (MHz) airwaves. The coveted 5G spectrum has been kept out of the offer.

The auctions are slated to be held in March 2021 and the notice inviting applications is expected by the end of this month. The last spectrum auctions were held in October 2016 and the government earned Rs 65,789 crore from them.

While briefing mediapersons on the outcome of the Cabinet meet, telecom and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “It has been decided by the Cabinet to auction 2,251 MHz spectrum by March 2021.”