The fact that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is batting for the first 5G call to be made on Independence Day is widely known and has been motivating the Department of Telecom (DoT) to work tirelessly, but can the August 15 target be achieved?

The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) approved the bulk of the TRAI recommendations on May 17 and it was anticipated that cabinet will take it up for approval and grant its nod in the following week. However nearly 3-weeks after the DCC decision the cabinet nod is still awaited.

The DCC had approved 35 percent cut in spectrum prices as compared to industry demand of 90 percent cut. It also approved 20 year spectrum holding period and excluded 27.5-28.5 Ghz band from the upcoming 5G auctions.

The DCC going against TRAI’s recommendation also decided to auction spectrum for captive 5G networks. The Big Tech industry has vehemently opposed this decision and has asked the DoT to reconsider.

Big Tech companies argue that to realise the digital potential, 5G spectrum for private networks should be at nominal rates or free of cost instead of auctions. They say buying spectrum at reserve prices would make it unviable for private networks.

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First Published:Jun 6, 2022 9:14 PM IST