Spectrum auction process commences

The biggest ever auction of spectrum by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) started on Wednesday in the morning where government expects to garner Rs 80,000-1lakh crore from the sale of spectrum.

The bids for auction started from 9 am on Wednesday and will go on till 7.30 pm (Monday to Saturday), except on central government holidays like Holi.

Due to a Supreme Court order, DoT may not announce daily results on the auction unlike in previous cases.SC has given a go ahead on the auction but the results wont be allowed without their permission. SC will hear all the pleas-- by DOT and telecom players on March 26.

Eight telecom operators are in fray for buying spectrum in 800, 900, 1800 and 2100MHz band.It is a do-or-die situation for telcos in many circles for incumbent operators — Idea Cellular, Vodafone, Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel — which will be slugging out to retain their 900-MHz as their licences approach expiry.

This is the first time that telecom firms have been allowed to use their eligibility points for bidding across spectrum bands — 800-, 900-, 1,800-, and 2,100-MHz — shuffling from one to another. They earlier had to stick to one band and bid within it.