Government has postponed the mega sale of 2,354.55 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum by two days to begin from October 1, as the industry demanded for starting spectrum auction from an auspicious date. As per the earlier schedule, bids for airwaves was scheduled to start from September 29, which falls during the 'Shradh' period, during which rituals are held to pay homage to the dead and is considered inauspicious to start any new work. The Shradhs are followed by Navratras -- a nine-day festival period. So, telecom operators had demanded that the spectrum sale, which is the biggest ever auction, should begin with the start of Navratra festival which is considered auspicious and not on September 29.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has put on the block a total of 2,354.55 megahertz (MHz) of mobile frequencies for auction in all bands -- 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2300 MHz. All the radiowaves being put for auction can be used for high speed 4G services. At base price, the sale of all spectrums would fetch bids worth Rs 5.63 lakh crore. Of this, the spectrum in premium 700 MHz band alone has potential to attract bids of Rs 4 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, the DoT has already increased time duration of bidding rounds for first five rounds to 90 minutes from 60 minutes earlier, as industry players wanted more time to take decision in which multiple mobile airwaves is being put for auction. The Government is expecting to raise at least Rs 64,000 crore from the auction of about 2,354.55 Mhz of spectrum and Rs 98,995 crore from various levies and services in the telecom sector this financial year. For the first time, the Government has promised to assign spectrum within 30 days of making upfront payment by successful bidders.