The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is likely to come out with its recommendations on spectrum pricing for the next round of auction by end-October 2014. The telecom regulator will recommend the reserve price of spectrum in the 900 MHz and the 1800 MHz bands that will put for sale in the auctions.
TRAI had started the consultation process for forthcoming spectrum auctions in August 2014 and recently conducted an open house discussion with the industry players in order to get their views on reserve price, quantum of spectrum and other issues related to auction. As per TRAI, about 184 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz band and 104 MHz in the 1800 MHz band will be put up for sale in the auction.
The telecom licences of several operators are due for expiry in 2015-16 and will therefore need to be renewed for operators to continue with their services. In December 2015, four licences of Bharti Airtel and seven licences each of Idea Cellular, Reliance Telecom and Vodafone India will complete their 20-year term and would require renewal. For continuing mobile services, they will need to buy new spectrum through auction. By April 2016, two more permits of Bharti and Idea Cellular will come up for renewal.
