Govt panel seeks review of 5G spectrum base price

NEW DELHI: A high-level panel on National Infrastructure Pipeline has sought a review of the base price for 5G spectrum auctions, arguing that the reserve price for airwaves auction proposed by the department of telecom (DoT) is much higher than other countries and interest may be tepid.

“The high price comes at a time when the demand for spectrum is likely to be subdued as consolidation has reduced the number of players in the sector to effectively only four. However, providing inclusive and affordable 5G services to all sections of the population in the country is important to achieve the National Digital Communications Policy goals. For this, participation of the private players in the 5G auction should be robust. In order to enable this, the authorities should rationalise all elements of spectrum pricing for the auction, including base price, period of payment of charges and interest rates,” the task force comprising top offi