PMO eyes August 15 for 5G initial roll-out

Special Correspondent

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has written to sectoral regulator TRAI to expedite submitting its recommendations on spectrum auctions. This follows a request from the Prime Minister’s Office to work towards the initial launch of 5G by August 15.

“In reference to decision/action points emanating from deliberations of a monitoring group, the PMO has requested the DoT to work towards the initial launch of 5G by August 15, 2022 and also explore the possibility of obtaining requisite recommendations from TRAI before March 2022,” the telecom department said in a letter to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Secretary S.K. Gupta.

“In view of the above, TRAI is requested to expedite the matter and provide the recommendations at the earliest,” Dot said in the letter dated February 22.

The development follows the Budget announcement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the government would auction telecom spectrum in 2022, which will facilitate private players to roll out 5G services before March 2023. Following this, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had stated that TRAI was working on its recommendations for the spectrum auction and these were expected to come by March.

The DoT, he had said, was preparing for auctions and readying the notice inviting applications (NIA) and other documents.

In the letter, the DoT also informed the regulator about additional availability of spectrum, particularly in the 900 MHz band, and requested TRAI to examine the need to review the channel plan in the 800 MHz band and the number of spectrum blocks that could be made available for telecom services in the 800 MHz band.