5G spectrum price should depend on companies’ buying power: DoT Additional Secy

The capacity of telecom players, just about recovering from a brutal price war, to invest must be considered before determining the pricing of 5G spectrum to be auctioned for the first time, said the additional secretary of the Department of Telecommunications Anshu Prakash on Thursday.

Mobile phone companies called on the authorities to reduce pricing of the airwaves which will make their debut at the upcoming sale. “(A) key issue is the capacity of the industry to invest, to raise capital, because 5G network will not come without investments,” Anshu Prakash, told an industry conference.