DoT may seek law ministry views on giving spectrum to entities

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is likely to seek the opinion of the law ministry over allocation of spectrum to enterprises for rolling out private captive networks.

Officials aware of the details said the DoT will ask if spectrum can be given administratively or through auction. While the Cabinet had approved direct allocation to enterprises in June 2022, it had not spelled out the specifics around the methodology. “We will seek clarity from the law ministry. As per the 2012 Supreme Court order, auction is the preferred way for allocating spectrum for commercial purposes. Though private networks are not allowed to give commercial telecom services, we must be sure that we don’t fall against the apex court order,” an official told ET.