Telcos seek base price cut as spectrum auction nears

ulatory officer of Bharti Airtel, stated in a submission to Trai. He said spectrum that remains unsold or underutilized due to inflated pricing is a "direct loss to the country," delaying network expansion and degrading service quality.

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Operators have also called for extending the licence validity period to 30 or 40 years from the current 20 years.

By reducing costs, operators could redirect capital toward "network densification, faster 5G rollout, and wider rural coverage."

Spectrum represents a critical revenue stream for the government, which sets a base price and expects companies to bid higher. However, aggressive bidding has eased since 2021, with most of the airwaves sold near reserve prices-a shift driven by industry consolidation, high base prices, and the financial burden of recent 5G rollouts.

Reliance Jio, India's largest telco by market share, urged Trai to recommend a reserve price set at 50% of the spectrum valuation, arguing that the current valuation of 70% is "too steep and not conducive of wider participation." Jio contended that this aggressive pricing prevents genuine price discovery and competition, leading instead to sales at or near the reserve floor.