New Delhi: The government hopes to garner at least Rs 64,000 crore from sale of 2G airwaves, scheduled to begin this February.
According to a draft cabinet note floated by the telecom department the actual auction proceeds could be much more. The Cabinet meets later this evening to take a decision.
The note seeks to fix the reserve price of 2G airwaves scheduled to be auctioned in February this year. However, the note fails to find any mention of 3G airwaves.
The government will put up 184 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 100.2 MHz in 1800 MHz band and 103.75 MHz in the 800 MHz band for sale.
The telecom commission had proposed reserve price of various 2G bands, 800, 900 and 1800 at Rs 3,646 crore, Rs 3695 crore and Rs 2,191 crore respectively.
Last week, the telecom regulator proposed a floor price of Rs 2720 crore for one MHz of 3G airwaves. A telecom department committee is yet to make its recommendation on this reserve price, which would then be considered by the telecom commission before it it moved to the cabinet.
However, it is still not clear whether the government will sell 3G airwaves along with 2G.
The telecom regulator in its recommendations had highlighted that given that the defence ministry had agreed to swap 15 MHz of airwaves in the 2100 MHz band or the 3G band with the telecom department, the latter must club the 15 MHz of 3G airwaves for sale together with 2G.
The draft cabinet note has fixed the spectrum usage charge (SUC) for airwaves to be sold at 5% of the AGR. It also proposes to levy a weighted average SUC for mixed spectrum holding- administrative by held and bought through auctions.
