High reserve price for 2G auction was a 'mistake': Montek

Days after the auction of mobile phone spectrum evoked a tepid response, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday said it was a "mistake" to have a high reserve price and there was need to relook at the price during the second auction planned later this fiscal.

Ahluwalia, who was part of an Empowered Group of Ministers that set Rs 14,000 crore as the base price, said the government, which plans to have another auction soon for the unsold spectrum, needs to take a relook at the price.

"I myself had raised the issue that it was a mistake to pitch the reserve price at a level close to that..." he said. "I think in the hindsight it was clear that the reserve price was too high".

The government, which had set a reserve price of Rs 14,000 crore for pan-India spectrum broadly drawing from the basis used by CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) in calculating the loss in the previous sale in 2008, managed a meagre Rs 9,407.64 crore in the auction that lasted barely two days.

"But that doesn't matter, we are going to re-auction and you will discover the price," he told reporters on the sidelines of Indo-Japan symposium here.

Ahluwalia said several discussions were held to set the reserve price for auctioning the spectrum and the EGoM had "actually lowered the reserve price" from Rs 18,000 crore suggested by sector regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) to Rs 14,000 crore.