In a setback for telecom companies, the Digital Communications Committee (DCC) has decided on Friday not to cut spectrum prices in line with the recommendation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, sources told CNBC-TV18.

Telecom companies had constantly requested the regulator and the Department of Telecommunications to reduce prices of the spectrum.

The DoT had referred the issue back to Trai. However, the regulator had insisted that they would send the prices back at the same levels with no cuts.

In the DCC meeting, which took place today, the resolution that has been passed with the understanding of the core members is that there will be no cut in spectrum prices as recommended by the TRAI.

In October, Ravi Shankar Prasad, minister of communications and electronics and information technology, stated that he was confident that spectrum auctions will be conducted within this financial year.

According to sources, it is incredibly unlikely to have these spectrum auctions in this current financial year and that it is likely in the month of May.

First Published:Dec 20, 2019 1:33 PM IST