India's 5G<\/a> spectrum<\/a> auctions will likely be delayed again with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of<\/a> India (Trai) informing the Department of Telecommunications<\/a> (DoT) that it is likely to submit its pricing recommendations only in March.
Government officials say if that is the case, then 5G auctions will happen in July and not April-May, as the government had earlier announced. As a result, the rollout of mobile telephony services based on 5G starting from urban pockets may get pushed into 2023. Telcos have said that they will take six months to start offering 5G services from when the spectrum is allotted.
\"Trai will submit its final recommendations to the telecom department by March. The auctions in April-May are unlikely and a July timeframe is possible,\" said an official aware of the development.
Mukesh Ambani<\/a>, chairman of telecom market leader Reliance Jio<\/a>, recently pushed for an urgent rollout of 5G services, saying it should be made a \"national priority\". The government has also been asking carriers to try and launch 5G services - at least in some pockets - on August 15. All telcos are currently running trials with vendors to develop India-specific use cases.
But the April-May auction timeline looks unlikely, given Trai's latest communication, say officials. Officials at the authority though say they are working at a \"record pace\" on the spectrum pricing recommendations.
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