Cabinet okays Rs.14,000 crore as spectrum auction base price

Mumbai, Aug 3 (IANS) The cabinet Friday approved Rs.14,000 crore as the reserve price for the 2G spectrum auction fixed by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on telecom.

The cabinet, at a meeting here, also approved a base price of Rs.18,200 crore for the CDMA services and spectrum usage charge of three to eight percent of the revenue of the operators.

Last month, the EGoM had recommended the reserve price to the cabinet which is lower than what the sector regulator has suggested for the 2G spectrum auction.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended a reserve price of Rs.18,000 crore.

The Supreme Court Feb 2 ordered cancellation of 122 licences including those of Uninor, Sistema Shyam Teleservices, Loop Telecom, Etisalat DB, Videocon, Idea Cellular and STel and asked for redistribution of these licences though an auction.