EGoM favours 50% cut in CDMA spectrum base price; second round of auction in March

08 Jan 2013 Evaluate

The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom headed Finance Minister P Chidambaram decided to slash the reserve price for the 800MHz radiowaves used by CDMA mobile operators by either 30 percent or 50 percent in the second round of auction planned to begin on March 11 to raise a minimum of Rs 45,000 crore. Auction for 800-MHz spectrum will be conducted after the GSM auctions of 1800-MHz and 900-MHz bands from March 11.

The EGoM on January 7 finalized the schedule for auction of unsold GSM spectrum for the first round along with 900 MHz spectrum and 800 MHz band airwaves used for offering CDMA-based mobile services. Due to high reserve price about 70 percent of the airwaves went unsold in November auction that raised only Rs 9,410 crore, which was less than 25 percent of the amount the government was targeting to raise from spectrum sale for this fiscal. While, EGoM recommended in last month a 30 percent cut in reserve or base price for the second-generation spectrum that wasn't sold in the auction.

If the government reduce the CDMA spectrum price by 30 percent, then the auction of 800 MHz together with 900 MHz and 1800 MHz airwaves would get up to Rs 48,000 crore and if reserve price reduction is 50 percent, it will get about Rs 45,000 crore at the base price.

Moreover, the auction will start with the unsold spectrum in 1800 MHz band at a reserve price which is 30 percent lower than the previous round of auction held in November, 2012. As per the Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal the auction for the 1,800 MHz second-generation phone spectrum will start on March 11 in four cities including New Delhi and Mumbai that remained unsold in the November 2012 auction. Minister added that the Cabinet may decide this month on the minimum price for the 800 MHz sale.

In previous auction, reserve price for CDMA spectrum was 11 times high than the amount telecom operators paid in 2008 and 1.3 times than the GSM spectrum in 1800 MHz band and at that rate, each block of 800 MHz band would have cost Rs 4,550 crore, and Rs 18,200 for 5 MHz, pan-India and thus did not receive any bids. Since CDMA technology has few takers, EGoM felt that it may attract no bidders; hence it will recommend option of 50 percent price cut as well.    

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