5G spectrum auction most probably in February 2022: Telecom minister

NEW DELHI: The 5G spectrum auctions will “most probably” be held in February 2022, and the government may even try for a January timeline, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

Speaking to PTI, Vaishnaw said that the telecom reforms package cleared by the Cabinet is adequate for the survival of existing players, and added that with more reforms, and more structural changes, that are in the pipeline, “more players should come”.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a blockbuster relief package for the stressed telecom sector that includes a four-year break for companies from paying statutory dues, permission to share scarce airwaves, change in the definition of revenue on which levies are paid and 100 per cent foreign investment through the automatic route.