Reliance Jio has sought the auction of spectrum at the earliest as the largest telecom operator aims to expand 4G coverage and roll out 5G in India.
India’s largest mobile operator has sought the auctioning of all available spectrum and that which will be freed, Reliance Jio said in a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Reliance Jio said a total of 1461.5 MHZ spectrum in paired bands and 790 MHz spectrum in unpaired with recommended reserve price value of Rs 3.92-lakh crore is available with DoT for auction and is lying unused for the past four years.
“We are unable to find any reasonable rationale behind this sudden pause in a successful and fruitful policy of auctioning all available spectrum every year, since the Supreme Court decision in 2012,” Jio said in a letter dated September 28, addressed to DoT Secretary Anshu Prakash.
The company reiterated that the inexplicable delay of four years in spectrum auction, since 2016, has created a situation of dire scarcity which is impacting the quality of experience and growth of services.
India’s Digital Communications Commission has recommended the reserve price for the spectrum, quantity of spectrum and other associated conditions in May 2020 for Cabinet approval. But India Government is yet to consider process for conducting the spectrum auction.
