Spectrum sale minus 5G band

The department of telecom (DoT) is likely to hold spectrum auction before October without the frequency band considered suitable for 5G services, according to official sources involved in the process.

The department is expected to finalise the auctioneer — the agency that will develop and manage the software for the auction — by May 22 and the timeline will also depend on the firm selected.

“Four bidders have qualified in the technical round. These include two firms that have experience of spectrum auction. In case an experienced firm is selected, the auction can begin after two months, and in the other case, it can begin after three months. Based on the plan in process, the auction can start in August-September also, but the timeline will not go beyond October,” a source said.