The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is of the view that a cut in the base price of 5G airwaves and the 700 MHz band plus a lesser upfront payment will be required to make the spectrum more attractive for telecom companies during the next auction.
"It is best if the telcos push their case again with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), and a reduction in price and lesser upfront payment is the best way ahead," an official told The Economic Times.
The DoT will also seek a fresh base price for the 3,300 MHz-3600 MHz band earmarked for 5G, the 700 MHz band, and other new bands, the report said.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.
During the spectrum sale in March, the government had sold only 855.6 MHz (37 percent) of the 2,308 units of spectrum across seven bands on sale. Reliance Jio was the biggest buyer, followed by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Spectrum in two bands - 700MHz and 2,500MHz bands were unsold.
"The 700 MHz band, which is the most efficient sub-GHz 4G band, and the 3.3-3.6 GHz frequencies for 5G need to be reduced by 50-60 percent," an industry executive told The Economic Times.
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