According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways, the next spectrum auction will be limited and significantly smaller than the previous round.
Speaking on the sidelines of the interim budget recently presented by the government, Vaishnaw said that a very major auction was conducted last year, where practically a large chunk of the spectrum was already auctioned out. Now, very small chunks are left, and the demand for a new auction is limited for the new spectrum. The minister informed that the government is moving fast on organising the next round of spectrum auctions and notices for the upcoming auction would be released soon.
Further, Vaishnaw addressed the government’s recent decision to cut the import duty on certain parts used in manufacturing mobile phones from 15 per cent to 10 per cent under the interim budget for 2024. He attributed this move to the trust India has garnered on the global stage due to the government’s foreign and economic policies over the past decade. Highlighting the shift towards trust shoring, he stated that many companies have expressed interest in establishing mega electronics manufacturing clusters in India.
Vaishnaw asserted that the telecom sector is in very robust health today. According to him, the growth and expansion of the telecom network are visible and the usage of data has increased.
