DoT's 5G waves price proposal high: Finance ministry task force

The 5G spectrum price suggested by the Department of Telecom (DoT) is too high, a task force set up by the finance ministry said, as it recommended rationalising of prices for making the next generation services affordable for all.
 

The industry has unanimously raised the issue of high spectrum price. However, DoT adopted the spectrum rate as recommended by Trai.
 

The task force, in a report released on Thursday, acknowledged stress in the sector and said the Supreme Court judgment mandating firms to pay around Rs 1.35 trillion has placed some operators in a “precarious position”. It said for the upcoming auction of 5G airwaves, DoT suggested a base price of Rs 492 crore per megahertz, which is very high compared to other countries.