The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a notice requesting for proposals for the selection of an agency to conduct e-auction of spectrum on simultaneous multiple-round ascending auction (SMRA) pattern in the 22 telecom service areas. The deadline for receiving the technical and financial bids from interested parties is November 11, 2014. Further, the interested parties are required to provide an earnest money deposit of Rs 1 million along with their proposal.

DoT selects an auctioneer through the tender process. Bidders have to quote per service area price (single quote and payable per band, separately) for holding a successful auction. The amount payable to the auctioneer on completion of a particular auction would be arrived at after multiplying the rate per service area with number of total service areas (counted separately for all bands) in which auction is successful. For more clarification on the bids for conducting the e-auction, DoT will hold a pre-bid conference with interested parties on October 27, 2014.

At present, DoT is working on details for the next round of spectrum auction for which it needs to appoint an agency that will design software and operate the whole online auction process. Previous auctioneers include N M Rothschild & Sons, who conducted the spectrum auctions in 2010, and Times Internet Limited-led consortium, which conducted the auctions in 2012.