Spectrum sale by Sept, call drop remedy in 5 months, says Sinha

Minister of state for communications Manoj Sinha on Friday said the next round of spectrum auctions for telecom operators with the highest reserve price of ₹5.66 crore will be finalised by September, and the call drop menace will be addressed in four to five months.

“Spectrum will be auctioned with all fairness. By September, the auctions will be finalised. We are looking at ₹5.66 lakh crore — that’s the reserve price,” Sinha said in his first press conference after assuming office. “If we get more, then well and good.”

“Call drop is another issue we are discussing with all seriousness. In the coming four to five months, you will see work happening on that front. We will create a long-term strategy to deal with this issue,” said the minister, adding, state-run companies had improved a lot in the past two years.

The minister also spoke about the Comptroller and Auditor

In four to five months, you will see work happening on that front (call drops). We will create a longterm strategy to deal with this issue MANOJ SINHA, MoS, IT

General of India’s (CAG) report stating that telecom companies were understating their revenues in a bid to pay less levies due to the government. “We will send demand notices to telcos in accordance with law in due course.”

A Cabinet meeting last month had approved the auction of over 2,300 megahertz (MHz) of airwaves in seven bands -- 700, 800, 900, 1,800, 2,100, 2,300 and 2,500.

Based on the pan-India reserve price, the mop-up can be as much as $84 billion, compared to $17 billion last time. The previous round had seen 470.75 MHz on the block.

In the Cabinet meeting last month, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official nod was given for the reserve price and the auction norms, but a decision on the spectrum usage charges, which has evoked strong opinions from stakeholders, was deferred.

The issue has been referred back to the telecom watchdog and will be taken up after its response.

“In the coming times, spectrum will be allocated on a large scale. It has been our government’s policy to hold auctions without any discrimination. We will follow the same process. I think we will be successful in finalising the process by September,” Sinha said.