New Delhi:

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh attacked the Centre over its decision to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, drawing a sharp retort from Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

In a post on X, Mr Ramesh on Monday shared a question asked by his party colleague Viriato Fernandes in the Lok Sabha as to whether the government’s decision to allocate satellite spectrum through administrative means rather than auctioning it is meant to facilitate the entry of billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink into the Indian market. Mr Musk had criticized the auction route and praised the government’s decision to allocate the spectrum administratively.

In his written reply, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said, “No Sir. The Telecommunications Act, 2023 provides for the assignment of spectrum through the administrative process for satellite-based services, listed in First Schedule of the Act.” 

“The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) grants authorisations under Unified License (UL) for providing Satellite-based commercial communication services. Satellite-based communication licenses are granted to any applicant, subject to acceptance and in compliance of the applicable licensing terms and conditions, including security conditions of India,” he said.

Spectrum assigned administratively are also chargeable and hence contribute to revenue, Mr Sekhar said.

Sharing a picture of Mr Sekhar’s written answer, Mr Ramesh said that a parliamentary question has confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has decided to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, without auctions, despite demands from many sections.

A parliamentary question has confirmed that the Modi government has decided to assign spectrum for satellite-based communications administratively, without auctions, despite demands from many sections. The government has stated on the record that “spectrum assigned… pic.twitter.com/CR8bCLEAPv

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) December 16, 2024

The government has stated on record that “spectrum assigned administratively are also chargeable and hence contribute to revenue”, a position contrary to what PM Modi has been loudly proclaiming for many years, the Congress lawmaker said.

“Recall that the BJP reaped huge political dividends from the media frenzy generated by its proxies in the government over the UPA’s allocation of 2G spectrum by administrative processes rather than auctions. Fraudulent revenue loss projections and an overactive judiciary ended up doing huge damage to the investment environment in telecoms,” he charged.

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s Response To Jairam Ramesh

Responding to Jairam Ramesh’s post, Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is the Minister for Communications, said the satellite spectrum cannot be auctioned due to “technical and operational” reasons.

No country in the world currently auctions satellite spectrum, he said.

“Well done Jairam Ramesh for coherently chronicling the abominable 2G scam, and spelling out how the Congress ended up digging its own grave then. The country cannot forget this blot on India’s history; a scam that not just led to a colossal loss of Rs 1,76,645 crore to the exchequer, but also gave government-corporate collaboration its worst name, a.k.a crony capitalism,” he wrote.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also told Mr Ramesh that it was “rather ironical and ignorant” of him to point fingers at the Modi government in this regard.

“In the UPA era, spectrum was allocated via the opaque FCFS (first come, first served) policy, resulting in scams and losses. The Modi government PRIORITISES TRANSPARENCY & PUBLIC INTEREST- mobile telephony spectrum is now auctioned,” he said.

Well done @Jairam_Ramesh for coherently chronicling the abominable 2G scam, and spelling out how the Congress ended up digging its own grave then.

The country cannot forget this blot on India’s history; a scam that not just led to a colossal loss of Rs. 1,76,645 Crore to the… https://t.co/47fdngxNBApic.twitter.com/68HNJpBBDU

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) December 17, 2024

“Satellite spectrum cannot be auctioned due to technical and operational reasons as I recently explained at a public forum. This distinction is also codified in Schedule 1 of the new Telecommunications Act 2023. Had you read the Act and participated more actively in the proceedings of the Parliament, you’d know better than to draw such absurd conclusions,” Mr Scindia said.

He stated the satellite spectrum in the Ku band (around 14 GHz) and Ka band (27.1 to 31 GHz) is inherently shareable in nature and therefore it is neither desirable nor feasible to allocate it through auction. 

Given that satellite spectrum is highly under-utilised, failing to assign it would result in two key disadvantages: potential loss of government revenue, and missed opportunities to advance technologically, which could help bridge the digital divide, the Minister said.

“Whereas the BJP under PM Modi has always sought to maximise governance, the Congress has a track record of maximising its own pockets at the expense of public interest. To top it off, it is the Congress that mastered the art of “manufacturing consent” to further its own agenda, and protect its own interests,” he said.

New Delhi:

Telecom czar Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Airtel on Wednesday emerged as the biggest bidder for radio waves used to transmit mobile phone voice and data signals, cornering about 60 per cent of the Rs 11,341 crore worth of spectrum sold in an auction that ended within two days.

While Bharti Airtel bid and won airwaves worth Rs 6,856.76 crore, rival Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio – the market leader – got Rs 973.62 crore worth of spectrum – the least in the three-corner contest.

Vodafone Idea, the struggling telecom operator that recently got a fresh lease of life through India’s biggest follow-on share sale, bagged spectrum valued at Rs 3,510.4 crore.

An official statement said, in all, 141.4 MHz of radio waves were sold for Rs 11,340.78 crore.

The government had offered a total of 10 GHz of spectrum, ranging between 800 MHz and 26 GHz, which was worth Rs 96,238 crore at the base or auction start price.

However, only a small amount of the spectrum on offer was sold in seven rounds of auction.

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have successfully renewed their expired spectrum in 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands, and further an additional quantum of 87.2 MHz worth Rs 6,164.88 cr has been acquired by telcos to augment their services.

“Spectrum auction 2024 was part of a continuous allocation process that is transparent, robust and progressive. Telecom service providers (TSPs) have taken spectrum not only for continuity of service but for expanding their services but the volume is limited because already a large part of the spectrum required was auctioned only last year,” Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters here.

He added: “We will continue the process with the clear objective of ensuring reliability and growth of telecom services in India.”

The bidding went above the reserve price in West Bengal and Bihar in the 1,800 MHz band.

In all, the realisations from the 2024 auction work out to just about 12 per cent of Rs 96,238 crore minimum value that the government had estimated for the spectrum on offer.

However, Telecom Department sources said that this is in line with, or even slightly above, expectations, given that deposits (EMDs) by telcos just ahead of the auction gave a clear indication of the extent of participation and sale.

Further, almost 99 per cent of the spectrum on the block did not see much interest, as telcos had already picked up spectrum in those specific bands in the last auction conducted in August 2022.

Bharti Airtel, the top bidder, bought 97 MHz of radio frequency for mobile services for Rs 6,856.76 crore.

Notably, debt-ridden Vodafone Idea bought 30 Mhz of spectrum for Rs 3,510.4 crore and Reliance Jio Infocomm bought 14.4 Mhz for Rs 973.62 crore.

“Bharti Airtel Limited, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Vodafone Idea Limited have successfully bid and taken spectrum in this auction also for growth and continuity of services,” the statement said.

It said the level of response to the auction was on account of most of the 5G spectrum getting sold in the auctions that were held in August 2022 and their monetisation still in progress.

“As auction for 5G spectrum was held recently & 5G monetisation is still in progress, no bidding took place in 800 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 3,300 MHz and 26 GHz bands. A total quantum of 141.4 MHz (26.5 per cent) was sold from the balance 533.6 MHz spectrum. This is despite the fact that a very large amount of spectrum, that is, 51.2 Ghz of spectrum was sold in August 2022,” the statement said.

In all, available spectrum in 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands were put to auction. Of these, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz and 2,500 MHz bands caught telcos’ fancy.

The unsold spectrum will again be put to auction next time, it said.

Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel, said the company continues to judiciously acquire the right amount of spectrum to deliver the best possible experience to its customers.

“In this auction, we have bolstered our sub-giga hertz and mid-band holding which will significantly improve our coverage, especially indoor,” Vittal said.

A statement by Jio said the company has consolidated its leadership position by acquiring the right to use spectrum in the 1,800 MHz band in the circles of Bihar and West Bengal.

Akash M Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said the company has already demonstrated its commitment to the Digital India vision by rolling out one of the world’s fastest and widest stand-alone 5G networks within 12 months of allotment of spectrum.

“This new spectrum acquisition will continue to enable us serving aspirations of the new India, in terms of growing traffic demands and superior customer experience, which is no longer limited to only urban markets,” Ambani said.

Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vodafone Idea, said the company has strategically acquired spectrum in the select markets to enhance and strengthen its overall spectrum portfolio.

“This acquisition will enable us to effectively use dedicated sub GHz spectrum towards advanced technologies to enhance the experience we offer to our customers. As VIL embarks on its growth journey with the fund-raising plan in place, this spectrum acquisition will further strengthen its competitive position in the market,” Mr Moondra said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

“The auction, where a total of 10 GHz of spectrum ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz was offered, got total bids worth ₹11,340 crore,” sources said.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

An auction of radiowaves that carry voice and data signals for mobile phones ended within two days on June 26, garnering less than 12% of the ₹96,238 crore minimum value that the government had estimated for the spectrum on offer.

“The auction, where a total of 10 GHz of spectrum ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz was offered, got total bids worth ₹11,340 crore,” sources said.

Five rounds of bidding happened on the opening day on June 25, but on June 26 (Wednesday), there was not much action, leading to officials declaring the end of the auction at around 11.30 hrs.

“The total bids received is more or less the same, as what came in on Tuesday,” sources said, adding only 140-150 MHz are estimated to have been sold. On offer were radiowaves in the bands of — 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz and 26 GHz.

During the last auction in 2022, which turned out to be a seven-day affair, a record over ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of 5G telecom spectrum was sold, with billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio emerging as the top bidder, cornering nearly half of all the airwaves (worth ₹88,078 crore).

At that time, telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel made a successful bid of ₹43,084 crore, while Vodafone Idea bought Spectrum for ₹18,799 crore.

New Delhi:

The government will continue to auction telecom spectrum, and the administrative allocation route will be used sparingly, only in those cases where it is technically not feasible to do so or for areas that are strategic in nature, sources said.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is gearing up to hold the next round of spectrum auction on June 6 for eight spectrum bands (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz) meant for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore.

The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual installments in the coming mega auction.

Sources asserted that the spectrum for mobile services will continue to be given through the auction process.

As enacted in the Telecom Act, 2023, only very limited and narrowly defined cases, including spectrum for walkie-talkie for police organisations, radar for weather forecasting, radar and communication for ships, communication for space and satellite applications, communication and radar for the Army, Air Force and Navy and state-owned telecom corporation like BSNL, airwaves will be given on administrative basis, sources said.

Of the total allocations, these amount to a minuscule, just 5-7 per cent of the cases.

The government had on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking a modification of the 2012 order. The modification sought was to allow for administrative allocation in select cases where it is not technically feasible to use the auction route. However, for the majority of the spectrum, the auction will continue to be the mode of allocation.

The matter in the Supreme Court is basically an application filed (in the Supreme Court) following the due process before introducing the Telecom Bill in parliament, sources clarified. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Representational image only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The upcoming spectrum auction will start from May 20, according to the notice inviting application released by the Department of Telecom on March 8. Government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of ₹96,317.65 crore.

Spectrum which is held by certain companies undergoing insolvency processes as well as frequencies expiring this year will also be put on auction.