GSMA calls for affordable spectrum pricing

by | Feb 4, 2016

Short-Term Gain, Long-Term Pain’ Approach to Spectrum Pricing Needs to End

2 February 2016, India: John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA commented on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recommendations1 for spectrum pricing in the forthcoming auction of the 700MHz band:

“The GSMA is very concerned by TRAI’s recommendation to set a starting price of US$1.7 billion1 per MHz for pan-Indian 700MHz spectrum. India has one of the lowest Average Revenues Per User (ARPU) across the world (US$2.45 at the end of 2015). Combined with so far limited revenue contribution from data services, competitive pressure on operators’ revenues and high capital expenditure2 to upgrade networks, this makes it more challenging for operators to recover from high spectrum prices. Spectrum’s greatest value does not come from high sales prices, but rather from its use to expand social and economic opportunity for all India’s citizens. In 2014 alone, the mobile industry contributed 6.1 per cent to India’s GDP3.

“The more mobile operators have to pay for a spectrum licence, the less capital is available to roll out new mobile networks. As the digital economy becomes increasingly important to India’s future prosperity, we encourage greater focus on the long-term benefits of connecting more people in India to affordable mobile broadband, rather than on short-term financial gain.

“High reserve prices and an unrealistic predetermination of spectrum value could also reduce the willingness of potential bidders to buy the spectrum. For example, in Australia, an unrealistically high reserve price resulted in a valuable portion of the 700MHz spectrum left unsold and unused. Unused or under-utilised spectrum benefits neither the economy nor society.

“We respectfully ask the Indian Government and TRAI to keep in mind the objectives for releasing 700MHz spectrum – one of the most promising bands to expand the reach of mobile broadband services into rural areas – in the lead-up to auctioning this critical spectrum resource. Setting reserve prices at reasonable levels will be key to achieving the Digital India objectives, allowing operators to focus their resources on building the necessary infrastructure to deliver high-quality mobile services for Indian citizens.”

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PRESS RELEASE

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Brian Pereira
Brian Pereira
Brian Pereira is an Indian journalist and editor based in Mumbai. He founded Digital Creed in 2015. A technology buff, former computer instructor, and software developer, Brian has 29 years of journalism experience (since 1994). Brian is the former Editor of CHIP India, InformationWeek India and CISO Mag. He has served India's leading newspaper groups: The Times of India and The Indian Express. Presently, he serves the Information Security Media Group, as Sr. Director, Editorial. You'll find his most current work on CIO Inc. During his career he wrote (and continues to write) 5000+ technology articles. He conducted more than 450 industry interviews. Brian writes on aviation, drones, cybersecurity, tech startups, cloud, data center, AI/ML/Gen AI, IoT, Blockchain etc. He achieved certifications from the EC-Council (Certified Secure Computer User) and from IBM (Basics of Cloud Computing). Apart from those, he has successfully completed many courses on Content Marketing and Business Writing. He recently achieved a Certificate in Cybersecurity (CC) from the international certification body ISC2. Follow Brian on Twitter (@creed_digital) and LinkedIn. Email Brian at: [email protected]
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