India's biggest spectrum auction postponed to October 1
The sale was deferred by two days from the original September 29 date after telecom operators said they wanted a three-day gap after the proposed mock bid.
The government will begin its telecom spectrum auction on October 1, not September 29 as planned earlier. According to the revised Notice Inviting Application issued by the Centre, a mock auction will be held on September 26-27, and telecom operators had suggested a break of three working days between this and the actual sale of licences and assignment of specific bands.
The telecom industry had also suggested holding the auction during the period considered auspicious by Hindus, PTI reported. September 29 fell during the "Shradh" period, when rituals are done to pay respect to the dead, which is considered an inauspicious time to start new work. Telecom Secretary JS Deepak had said he was open to rescheduling the bid to cater to this suggestion. The Navratra festival begins on October 1.
The Department of Telecom will put up a bigger band of the spectrum for auction this round, as part of efforts to improve services. A total of 2,354.55 megahertz of mobile frequencies will be up for bids in all bands, including 700 Mhz, 800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 Mhz, making this India's biggest ever spectrum auction. All these radiowaves can be used for 4G services.
