The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has deferred the spectrum auction to June 6, 2024 in the wake of general elections. The sale was originally planned to start from May 20, 2024.
DoT has amended the notice inviting application (NIA), changing the date for the auction after telecom operators requested that the sale be deferred to post completion of the polls. The elections are set to start from April 19, 2024 and the results are to be declared on June 4, 2024.
Similarly, the mock auction will now be conducted on June 3, 2024 instead of May 13-14, 2024. The other timetable, however, remains the same.
In addition, DoT has provided clarity to a host of queries raised by the telecom operators. For the first time, DoT will be publishing an auction catalogue for live auction. Through the auction catalogue, each bidder will be able to view its eligibility points, net worth, earnest money deposit (EMD), spectrum holding data (existing), and the details of licensed shared access (LSA)-bands put to auction.
Further, DoT has clarified that there is no need to have bank guarantee (BG) and performance bank guarantee (PBG) for spectrum assignment as the same had been revoked earlier during telecom reforms. DoT had inadvertently put BG/PBG in the NIA. However, after telcos pointed it out, the NIA has been amended.
Additionally, the DoT has clarified that provisional spectrum assigned for a period of three months shall be excluded from the holding of the telcos, while calculating spectrum caps.
Meanwhile, DoT has reiterated its stand on some issues, despite telcos raising objections. For instance, on a query from telecom firms regarding under-utilisation of assigned spectrum due to issues such as interference or non-contiguity for which DoT is solely responsible, the telcos have sought proportionate relief in terms of either reduced payout or extension of validity of spectrum, to reduce the impact on the investments made by them.
