3G auction: Telcos gain, TRAI proposes 22% lower base price

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26 Aug, 2025 12:21

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Telecom stocks are in focus on Wednesday as telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommended a base price of Rs 2,720 crore per Mhz for pan India 3G spectrum. The new price is about 22 percent lower than the previous auction which would provide some relief to mobile operators.

Government in 2010 had auctioned 3G spectrum at pan-India reserve price of Rs 3,500 crore per megahertz.

Besides, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended that DoT should put additional 15 Mhz for auction, which has to be obtained in exchange of spectrum that is with the Defence services. The Department of Telecom, however, is optimistic of getting 5 Mhz of 3G spectrum (2100 Mhz band) from the Defence Ministry.

"The Authority recommends that the reserve price for 2100 MHz spectrum in each LSA (licence service area) should be...Rs 2,720 crore," TRAI said.

This can be done as "actual assignments do not have to be made immediately", it said. The regulator has recommended that the DoT should take all measures to ensure that the 2100 MHz spectrum which was earlier assigned to S-TEL in three service areas- Bihar, Orissa and Himachal Pradesh -- is also put to auction. STel closed its business in India after the Supreme Court cancelled 122 licences in February 2012 in the 2G spectrum allocation case.

Incidentally, the 2010 reserve price for 3G spectrum had formed the basis of CAG estimating notional loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G spectrum allocation case of 2008.

(With inputs from PTI)