The auction of 5G spectrum in India will be held on schedule, Minister of Communications of India Ashwini Vaishnaw said. His statement comes at a time when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendations on spectrum pricing and other nuances to the telecom ministry were expected to come by the end of March.
Responding to a question on whether telecom auctions in India will be held as per the schedule, Vaishnaw said – “Absolutely”. He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 2nd national conference on cybercrime investigation and digital forensics, according to reports.
According to reports, TRAI was expected to submit its recommendations for deployment of 5G connectivity in India towards the end of March this year post which the Telecom Ministry was to review the regulator’s recommendations before conducting the auction for 5G spectrum in India sometime in May this year.
A senior TRAI official on March 29 told PTI that the recommendations on 5G spectrum pricing and other modalities will take place in the coming seven to ten days indicating a slight delay. TRAI in the month of November last year had released a Consultation Paper that covered important aspects including auction-related issues, valuation and reserve price of spectrum, spectrum for private cellular networks, and others.
Some of the major telecom players in India include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Companies have been carrying out 5G trials in various parts of India.
Growth Potential
According to a Research and Markets report the 5G market in India is estimated to reach INR 19,053.09 billion by 2025, expanding at an exceptional compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 96.69 per cent during the 2021-2025 period. Sustainable pricing of spectrum, stable policy and regulatory landscape, and innovative use cases are estimated to be key enablers accelerating the growth of the 5G market in India. Agriculture, automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, energy & utilities, and media & entertainment are likely to be the potential end-user industries of 5G.
The demonstration took place in Bhaipur Bramanan village on the outskirts of Delhi/NCR using 5G trial spectrum allocated to Airtel by the Department of Telecom.