Appetite for telecom spectrum only by early 2019: COAI

Appetite for spectrum is likely to be felt only by late next year or early 2019 as telecom operators are taking stock of their holdings amid ongoing consolidation, cellular industry body COAI said today.

Telecom regulator Trai today began the process of consultation for next round of spectrum auction across nine bands which include 60 per cent of the unsold radiowaves in last auction and 275 megahertz from two new 5G bands.

It has also sought fresh views on valuation methodology for the prized 700 MHz, a band that found no takers in the last auction given the reserve or base price of Rs 11,485 crore per MHz in 2016.

COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told

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