The major telecom companies may have good news after the Centre is likely to waive spectrum usage charges (SUC) on airwaves that they bought through auction before September 2021, The Times of India reported.
Telecom companies like Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea will likely get an uplift if the Centre waives off the SUC. The TOI mentioned an official stating that the money would help the companies to establish 5G services in the country.
It is worth mentioning that the Department of Telecom (DoT) had withdrawn the SUC on radio waves purchased via auctions from September 2021 onwards. The department still charges for radio waves that were bought before September 2021.
It has been learned that the Centre is of the view that the received best prices for airwaves through auctions during the bidding process and taxing the companies more is needless. Talks are already on with the DoT and soon an announcement would be made regarding the waive off.
The report cited that Vodafone Idea would receive the maximum benefit of Around Rs 8000 cash which would help it in providing the 5G services to its customers.
Last week, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2025, a six-month initiative aimed at accelerating the development of innovative 5G-powered solutions to address societal and industrial challenges.
According to the Ministry of Communications, open to students, startups, and professionals, the programme provides mentorship, funding, and access to over 100 5G Use Case Labs, enabling participants to transform visionary ideas into scalable technologies.
