Trai sticks to spectrum price-cut proposals

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India iterated on Wednesday its recommendations for a sharp cut in the reserve prices in an upcoming auction for mobile phone spectrum, responding to clarifications sought by the telecommunications ministry.

The telecommunications regulator had recommended last month that the reserve price for spectrum in the 900 megahertz band in some key cities be cut by about 60 per cent, and also suggested a 37 per cent cut in the reserve price for spectrum in the 1800 megahertz band.

The Cabinet has the final say on the spectrum price proposals, while a panel of ministers will decide on some other rules for the auction planned for January.

Image: A man speaks on a mobile phone at a marketplace in New Delhi; Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Files/Reuters