State-owned telecos MTNL and BSNL will not bid for the spectrum, the process of which will start in November, PTI reports. The last date for submitting the application for participating in the auction is October 19.

MTNL Chairman and Managing Director AK Garg told the news agency that BSNL and MTNL will not be participating in the auction as they have enough spectrum. BSNL CMD also said the same about BSNL.

Both BSNL and MTNL who have been incurring losses had approached the Department of Telecommunications in the past for surrendering Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.

The auction is being held after the Supreme Court on February 2 this year ordered the cancellation of 122 2G licences allotted during the tenure of the former telecom minister A Raja.

These lecences were believed to be rigged. The apex court had also directed the government to start the process of the auction for airwaves freed following the cancellation.

The government has fixed the reserve price for the for 5 MHz of pan-India spectrum at Rs 14,000 crore.