DoT to seek Trai proposal on 26 GHz band pricing, unlikely to be included in next sale

NEW DELHI|KOLKATA: The telecom department will shortly urge the sector regulator to clear the way for auctioning the coveted spectrum in the 26 GHz band, aiming to reduce 5G deployment costs and, therefore, allow affordable ultra-fast mobile broadband services.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will seek pricing recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for this band, a senior government official said. “We will be taking a Trai reference for the 24.75 to 27.25 GHz millimetre wave band (popularly known as the 26 GHz band), and look at an auction sometime later next year,” the official said on condition of anonymity.