Telenor’s Indian unit Uninor has submitted its application to participate in India’s upcoming spectrum auction, a spokesman for the Norwegian telco has said.
The sale, which comprises frequencies in the 1,800 MHZ and 900 MHz bands, is set to start…
Telenor’s Indian unit Uninor has submitted its application to participate in India’s upcoming spectrum auction, a spokesman for the Norwegian telco has said.
The sale, which comprises frequencies in the 1,800 MHZ and 900 MHz bands, is set to start on 3 February.
A total of eight companies have applied, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Reliance Jio Infocomm and Idea Cellular, Reuters reported citing sources close to the matter.
The mobile operators were not immediately available for comment.
The government, which is reportedly looking to raise at least Rs113bn (US$1.84bn) from the process, had cleared the auction reserve prices in December.
The prices are higher than those recommended by the regulator but lower than the ones proposed by the telecoms ministry.
India’s last two spectrum auctions – in November 2012 and March 2013 – failed to generate much interest from operators, which complained prices were too high. The sole bidder in the March auction was MTS India, which won spectrum in the 800 MHz band.
