The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has put the upcoming 2G spectrum auction on the fast track.
After the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) framed a draft consultation paper on the subject, DoT plans to ask the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), headed by Pranab Mukherjee, to take the final decision on all issues related to the auction, say news reports.
The EGoM panel is to take a call on the annual spectrum charges and additional administrative charges, fee payable to the auctioneer, number of blocks of bandwidth to be sold and also if all incumbent and new players can be permitted to bid.
However, the EGoM will be able to do so only after the regulator firms up its recommendations on this subject. Thereafter, TRAI?s recommendations will be sent to the Telecom Commission for approval before being sent to the panel.
Meanwhile, DoT has chalked out a nine-point agenda for the EGoM, which reportedly broadly outlines the quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, the reserve price and the mode of auction.
Apart from the EGoM, DoT has also reportedly established five internal committees to oversee the auction. The first committee will examine the regulator?s recommendations and provide DoT with a detailed report on the same while the second is expected to supervise the auction process.
The third panel is to select the agency which will conduct the e-auction, while the fourth committee will examine whether the bidders are eligible to participate in the auction. Lastly, a committee of secretaries has been formed to approve the auction results.
