No proposal with TRAI to raise revenue share rate payable by telcos

The minister of state for communication, Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written response to a question on July 20 in the Lok Sabha said that there was no proposal at present with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to raise the revenue sharing rate payable by telecom operators.

In response to a separate question, he also said that “Launch of 5G mobile services is likely during 2022-23.”

Telecom companies are expected to bid aggressively for the 5G spectrum that will be auctioned later this month, with Reliance Jio Infocomm accounting for more than half of the earnest money deposited by the bidders.

In all, the four companies participating in the auction for 5G airwaves deposited a total of Rs 21,800 crore. The earnest money deposit gives bidders eligibility points on the basis of which they can bid for spectrum.

The government is expected to garner Rs 80,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore as revenue from the sale of the spectrum, which supports wireless internet access at a much higher speed than the current 4G communications standard.

CT Bureau