700-MHz spectrum price may be slashed 20%

The department of telecommunications (DoT) has begun the process for the next round of auctions, which is likely to witness 15 to 20 per cent reduction in the base price for the 700-MHz premium band that went unsold in the previous airwave sale in October 2016. The next auctions could be held by year-end.
 
According to an analyst, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is expected to revise the floor price downwards, in line with what it did ahead of the 2013 spectrum auctions.
 
The government had switched to auctioning of spectrum instead of awarding the licences on