Auction of spectrum for 5G services only around second half of 2019: COAI
Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan had earlier said that India wants to be a frontrunner in adopting 5G technology Economy & Policy News : Telecom industry body COAI has said auction of spectrum for 5G services should happen only around the second half of 2019 as it would offer telcos better visibility into market dynamics and potential revenue streams of the next-generation mobile services. The pricing of 5G spectrum, which would be required in larger blocks or chunks than seen before, would also be "critical component of success of these auctions" that should ideally take place in the "mid to latter part of 2019", Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI. Further, the ongoing financial stress in the industry will also have to be dealt with for the telecom operators to make investments into 5G auctions, he said. The advent of 5G is seen as the next technological frontier, and