Price Of 5G Spectrum In India is on 40% Higher Side : COAI
After new government formed in India,telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced its intention to hold spectrum auctions in the current year,also set a deadline of 100 days for starting the 5G trials in the country. industry body COAI said, the recommended base price of 5G radiowaves is nearly 30-40 percent higher than the rates in markets like South Korea and the US.
“Majority of our operators have indicated that 5G spectrum is far too prohibitively expensive and that their balance sheets can’t afford this, Rajan Mathews, DG, Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) told reporters on the sidelines of 5G spectrum policy workshop organized by the industry body Tuesday.
“Majority of our operators believe that the spectrum for 5G is overpriced by at least 30-40 per cent compared to international standards and auction in other markets like South Korea and the US,” Mathews said. He further said that incentives should be build into the spectrum price, given that 5G services in the country will also aim to serve social goals.
On Monday evening, the newly-appointed Chairman of COAI and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Idea, Balesh Sharma, had appealed to the government to ensure that 5G spectrum is made available to all players at “reasonable prices” and had pitched for lower levies and taxes to make the sector strong and sustainable. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has already recommended auction of about 8,644 MHz of telecom frequencies, including those for 5G services, at an estimated total base price of Rs 4.9 lakh crore, but the financially stressed industry has contended that prices are unaffordable.
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