The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has reportedly urged the government to ensure adequate 5G airwaves are auctioned at affordable rates, keeping in mind the severe financial stress in the debt-laden telecom sector.
According to CCI, if the above said is not ensured, the more profitable telecom operators could end up enjoying an unfair edge in deploying 5G in the country, thereby making 5G market uncompetitive.
CCI has stressed that creating a competitive 5G market is crucial for the the technology to work in India. To this end, the government should assign ample 5G airwaves at a reasonable cost to ensure the capital market stays interested in funding such network upgradation and expansion, including acquisition of 5G spectrum.
In addition, CCI has also emphasised on the need to bring in greater harmonisation across the respective jurisdictions of the CCI, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the future Data Protection Authority. As per CCI, establishing stronger informal lines of communications will ensure more robust and consistent regulatory decisions in future.
