BSNL and MTNL are likely to receive 4G spectrum worth Rs 20,000 crore through the administrative allotment as solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta is understood to have sent green signal to the proposal from the department of telecommunications (DoT).
DoT earlier sought legal opinion from SG after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) refused to offer its views regarding the matter, terming it an administrative issue.
DoT wants the legal view because the 2012 Supreme Court order had mandated the India government to conduct auction for releasing spectrum for commercial purposes, Financial Express reported.
The development will assist BSNL and MTNL, two state-run telecom operators, to commercially launch 4G and compete with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio in the hyper competitive market.
DoT is likely to soon allocate 4G spectrum to BSNL and MTNL, the report said. The value of spectrum for BSNL is around Rs 14,000 crore. MTNL, which has presence in Delhi and Mumbai, is seeking 4G spectrum worth Rs 6,000 crore.
BSNL has sought allocation of an additional 5 MHz spectrum in 2100 MHz band preferably contiguous to its existing 5 MHz block in the same band in all service areas except Rajasthan where spectrum in not available. BSNL has sought 5 MHz in 800 MHz band for launching of 4G services in for Rajasthan.
