Budget silent on spectrum revenues

In a departure from the past, this year’s Budget is silent on the proceeds from the proposed 4G and 5G spectrum auctions slated by December, even as the Centre expects ₹50,519.8 crore revenue from the telecom sector.

“The final reserve price of spectrum is yet to be finalised, and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is still awaiting the regulator’s word on this. The reserve price and also the bands to be auctioned, both in 4G and 5G, are to be decided, without which a price could not be calculated,” a source close to the development told BusinessLine.

This, however, does not mean that there will be no spectrum auctions this year, he said, adding, DoT is working on a war-footing for the spectrum auction.