Telecom companies as well as the regulator have been of the view that the auction should take place only when adequate spectrum is made available, and the bidding should be held simultaneously for both the services – 2G and 3G. Defence had released 20 MHz out of 25 MHz in 2100 MHz band allocated to DoT under the agreement with Defence on a pan-India basis and one more block of 5 MHz in 5 circles, which was auctioned in 2010. Under the agreement with DoT, the remaining spectrum is to be vacated only after the alternate communication network is completed.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said stakeholders can send their comments regarding 2100 Mhz band auction by December 15 and counter-comments by December 19. Trai has earlier reiterated its recommendations for 900 and 1800 Mhz bands while it has increased the base price by 15 percent for 800 MHz band.

 The DoT had sent back Trai’s recommendations on 800, 900 and 1800 MHz bands for reconsidering some points. The next round of spectrum auction is proposed to be held in February and the government is estimated to garner at least Rs 9,355 crore from sale of radiowaves. As per estimates, auction of spectrum in 2100 Mhz band in February can fetch bids worth at least Rs 5,000 crore.

READ MORE: India Lags Far Behind China, U.S. In R&D Expenditure: Vardhan and Kaspersky Internet Security For Android Is Most Effective Mobile Protection