According to industry sources, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has urged the government to allocate it spectrum worth Rs 610 billion in the premium 700 MHz frequency range as well as the medium frequency band for 4G and 5G services.
Earlier, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had proposed to reserve for BSNL 10 megahertz of paired spectrum, which means the same quantum of radiowaves for uplink and downlink, in 600 MHz band; 40 MHz in 3600-3670 MHz band; and 400 MHz in 24 GHz band. To this end, DoT had sought views of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the same.
However, BSNL in a letter to the DoT recently asked for allocation of 10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band owing to lack of device ecosystem in the 600 MHz frequency range. Based on the base price recommended by TRAI, the value of spectrum sought by BSNL in the 700 MHz band comes to around Rs 390 billion. It has also sought 70 MHz of spectrum in 3,300 to 3670 MHz band (the mid-band) worth Rs 221.9 billion, against the 40 Mhz proposed by DoT, as per the letter.
The 700 MHz band is considered premium because it provides wide coverage of mobile signals and least number of telecom towers are required for setting up a network in this band compared to other frequencies allocated to the sector at present.
Meanwhile, if the government reserves 70 MHz of spectrum in the mid-band, then a total of 300 MHz of spectrum will be left for players to bid for in the upcoming auction.
