Vodafone Idea wants 5G auctions only after 2020

NEW DELHI: Vodafone Idea, the country’s leading telecom operator, said India should put off 5G spectrum auction beyond 2020 as there aren’t specific 5G use cases available, and 4G is more than adequate for most customer and Internet of Things services in the near term.

“Most appropriate time to hold auction will be somewhere after 2020,” said Vishant Vora, chief technology officer at Vodafone Idea. “We need time to develop India specific use case, and that takes time… We are working with our partners to develop those India specific use cases, and the maturity of that technology will be there when it makes sense,” he said.