Cabinet okays allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in 700 MHz band to Railways

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved allotment of 5 MHz spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band to the Indian Railways, a long-standing demand of the national transporter. This move will give a fillip to public safety and security at stations and in trains.

The idea behind spectrum allotment is to provide LTE (long-term evolution)-based mobile train radio communication on its routes.

The project will require over Rs 25,000 crore investment and be completed in 5 years. The spectrum charges may be levied based on a formula as prescribed by DoT for royalty charges and licence fee for captive