Keeping telcos’ cash crunch in mind, DoT may delay 5G auction to next fiscal

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is not in favour of conducting auctions for 5G airwaves in this financial year as the telcos may not have the capacity to fund the purchase of new spectrum, senior officials in the DoT told The Indian Express.

Moreover, the planning for which waves and bands to put up for auction in the next spectrum will start only after the DoT has studied in detail the reports from the 5G trials, which will be conducted over the next 6 months, the officials said.

“If they (telcos) give notice to us that they want to use the the spectrum that they bought in auctions in March, then six months down the line of course they can launch commercial services.