The government is likely to conduct the auction for 5G spectrum in early June, Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw told Economic Times in an interview. He added that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is sticking to the expected timeline. Vaishnaw informed ET that the government is deliberating the telecom industry’s concerns around spectrum and will come out with a plan to address them. The minister went on to reveal that the Digital Communications Commission is examining the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) recommendations at present. The Commission is responsible for formulating the policy of DoT for approval by the government, preparing the DoT’s budget, and overseeing the implementation of the government's policy in all telecommunication matters. The spectrum auction will be closely-watched as the telecom industry is reeling under financial distress even as the government looks to bolster revenues, following the dent in its coffers triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will the government meet its deadline? The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology expressed concern over the delay in the launch of 5G services in India, in its report on ‘India’s preparedness for 5G’ in March. A delay would “deprive the country of taking advantage of various benefits of 5G when other countries have made noticeable progress in deployment of the technology,” the committee had said. The government failed to furnish reasons as to why the 5G roll-out has not moved beyond the beginning stage, the report had revealed. The DoT simply offered a list of its early…
