BSNL Says Not Enough Data or Ready Ecosystem for Use of 600 MHz Spectrum

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), in its response to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) consultation paper on “Auction of Spectrum in Frequency Bands Identified for IMT|5G”, said that the ecosystem for the 600 MHz spectrum band is not ready yet. The state-run telco noted that it would be the first time that frequencies in the 526-698 MHz would be put to auction for the telcos. BSNL said that there isn’t enough data available globally to comment on whether this band is required.

• Make Telecom Talk My Trusted Source
• 
• 

“As per Para 3.36 of TRAI CP has indicated that these bands are to be put to auction for the first time. Globally also, only a few jurisdictions have concluded spectrum auctions for wireless services in this band. Thus, there is a constraint of both national and international level data for this band,” said BSNL.

BSNL Doubtful Whether 600 MHz Spectrum Can Bring Value Proposition for TSPs

The state-run telco expressed its concerns related to the value proposition that the 600 MHz spectrum can bring for the telecom service providers (TSPs). It is worth noting that airwaves in the 700 MHz band have already not seen any takers, and thus what can 600 MHz frequencies do more here is unclear.

BSNL said that airwaves in the 526-617 MHz should not be put for auction right now as the concerned band plans haven’t been defined by the International Telecom Union (ITU) or the 3GPP, so far. There is no ready ecosystem for International Mobile Telecommunication (ITM) available for these bands so far.