Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg on Friday. said that the government is likely to go for the next round of telecom spectrum auctions around May-June this year.
This means, the Indian government will miss the financial targets from spectrum auction during the current fiscal.
The official said that the government will put all available airwaves for auction during the next round, and he added that the auctions will be held sometime in May-June.
Rakesh Garg was speaking at the FICCI-WBA Vision Forum in Delhi.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already initiated the process to firm up reserve prices for the 700, 800, 900, 1,800, 2,100, 2,300 and 2,500 MHz spectrum bands which provide 2G, 3G and 4G telecom services.
The consultation paper floated by TRAI touched on key issues like quantum of spectrum to be auctioned, spectrum cap, spectrum block size, roll-out obligations, and methods to be used for valuation and estimation of reserve price.
Shrikant Shenwai, CEO, WBA said, “Wi-Fi is the integral element in fulfilling Shri Narendra Modi’s 100 Smart Cities dream and it will account for 9 percent of all global Wi-Fi traffic and generate $150 Bn in operator revenue by 2018. We are also glad that we have two new states, Karnataka and Telangana, on-board our Connected City Advisory Board.”
Karnataka and Telangana to join WBA’s Connected City Advisory Board
Karnataka and Telangana will join WBA’s Connected City Advisory Board after Delhi.
“We have a vision of making the leading city of the state, the first 100 percent Wi-Fi enabled city in the country and are already in the process of establishing public Wi-Fi networks in different parts of our state. Several public and private operators are investing. Joining the Connected City Advisory Board will help us expedite the process and offer connectivity to the inhabitants of our state,” said Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary, Telangana state government on accepting WBA’s invitation to join the Connected City Advisory Board.
“Being a part of the Connected City Advisory Board will help us get an idea about monetization opportunities. We have always wanted to facilitate only the most futuristic technologies to people living in our state and make them ‘Internet Literate’. Joining the CCAB is a great step on our part to make our state digital,” said V Manjula, principal secretary IT/BT/Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka.
