India expects its 5G spectrum auction process to be completed by August and services to be introduced later, the country’s technology minister told CNBC.
5G refers to the fifth generation of high-speed mobile Internet, which aims to provide faster data speeds and more bandwidth to carry increasing levels of web traffic.
India’s telecoms regulator is in the final stages of consulting with the telecoms industry on the deployment of the new technology and is expected to report by March, according to Ashwini Weisnau, India’s Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology.
“By the end of March, we will be ready with everything needed for the auction process,” Weisnau said on Monday’s CNBC’s Street Signs Asia.
“We expect the tender process to be completed sometime near July and August,” he said, adding that the industry is simultaneously preparing equipment and plans for 5G implementation, including which cities will be a priority.
The telecommunications industry uses radio frequencies to facilitate on-air communication. They are called spectrum and are allocated to lots by governments or certain regulatory bodies of mobile network operators through a tender process.
Vaishnaw declined to comment on 5G spectrum prices.
Last week, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman said in his budget speech that the telecommunications industry, and in particular 5G technology, could boost growth and offer job opportunities. She added that after holding the necessary auctions for the spectrum this year, private telecommunications companies will launch 5G mobile services during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
Asked whether the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei will be allowed to participate in the introduction of 5G in India, Indian Minister of Technology Vaishnaw said that in order for any company to be part of the market, it must meet the country’s criteria for suppliers of telecommunication equipment.
He explained that India sees telecommunications as a strategic service with implications for national security.
“Any company, I would not use any names here, any company that essentially qualifies through this trusted process, these companies could provide their equipment to telecommunications service providers who need the equipment,” he said.
Last year, media reports said Huawei and China’s ZTE had been excluded from 5G trials in India.