Entire 11,790 MHz telecom spectrum available for auction valued at ₹2.1 lakh cr

India’s telecom regulator Trai has recommended that the government auction the entire 11,790 MHz of available spectrum across bands, valuing the airwaves at about ₹2.1 lakh crore. Trai has proposed reserve prices that are on average 19% lower than in the last auction round, aiming to draw more bids from existing and potential operators.

To widen participation, Trai has suggested cutting the net worth requirement for new entrants by half, from ₹100 crore to ₹50 crore per licensed service area, and from ₹50 crore to ₹25 crore in Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast. It has also urged the Department of Telecommunications to take back spectrum currently held by telecom companies going through insolvency, so that those frequencies can return to the pool for fresh allocation.