Why are telecoms unhappy with the government decision to set aside 5G airwaves for private enterprises?

The world’s second-largest telecom market is one of the few major countries without 5G services. The Union government’s delay in auctioning off-spectrum bands is a result of its rounds of consultations with various stakeholders to decide on bands that can be sold, block sizes, and the reserve price. The telecom service providers are ready to commercially roll out 5G to customers. In January, Reliance Jio said it completed next-generation network coverage planning for nearly 1,000 cities in the country. A year ago, Airtel demonstrated 5G over a live commercial network in Hyderabad. Vodafone, before its merger with Idea, 2017 said it had “upgraded entire radio network to all-IP technology, ready even for 5G”. (Read More)