NEW DELHI: In what may delay commercial 5G rollout in India, telecom service providers — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea — have sought extension of 5G trial period by one year from the Department of Telecom.
In May this year, the government had allocated spectrum to the telecom companies in 700 Mhz band, 3.3-3.6 Gigahertz (Ghz) band and 24.25-28.5 Ghz band for trials across various locations for six months. The current trial period ends in November.
“Yes, we and other operators are seeking to extend the trial periods,” said an telecom industry executive requesting anonymity.
While there is no fixed timeline when the government would go ahead with the spectrum auction process, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had last month said that the much delayed auctions will most probably be held in February 2022, and the government may even try for a January timeline.
The government at present is awaiting Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) views on reserve price, block size, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and other modalities for spectrum across multiple bands.
According to an analyst at a consultancy firm, an extension of trial period might push the auction to second half of 2022. This would mean a commercial roll out may only take place in early 2023.
“Given the current financial condition, lack of readiness and no trial conducted by a major player, the government may consider giving an extension,” he said, requesting anonymity.