India’s biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum received a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio leading with a bid of Rs 88,078 crore and Airtel second with a bid of Rs 43,084 crore . Let’s take a look at some highlights of the 5G spectrum auction which started on July 26 and ended on August 1.
Reliance Jio bids for 5G spectrum
headed by mukesh ambani Reliance Jio The country was the highest spender with bids worth Rs 88,078 crore. Billionaire Gautam Adani’s group, whose entry into the auction was seen as a surprise, paid Rs 212 crore, or less than 1 per cent of all spectrum, for 400 MHz radiowaves that could be used to offer public telephony services. is not done for. Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel made a successful bid of Rs 43,084 crore, while Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) bought spectrum for Rs 18,799 crore.
Total 72,098 MHz spectrum sold
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that of the 72,098 MHz spectrum offered in 10 bands, 51,236 MHz or 71 per cent was sold. He said that auctions and spectrum top-ups by companies will pave the way for better quality services for consumers across the country. 5G The service will be started by October. Overall, bids worth Rs 1,50,173 crore were received, he said, adding the government would get Rs 13,365 crore in the first year.
Highest spectrum sold at base price
He said spectrum in all bands except the 1800 MHz band, for which Jio and Airtel had made strong bids, was sold at the reserve (base) price. The collection from 5G spectrum capable of offering ultra-high-speed mobile internet connectivity is almost double the Rs 77,815 crore 4G airwaves sold last year and triple the Rs 50,968.37 crore received from 3G auctions in 2010.
Reliance Jio Police 700 MHz Spectrum
Reliance Jio was the top bidder, offering a cumulative bid of Rs 88,078 crore for 24,740 MHz airwaves in 5 bands, which was able to offer speeds nearly 10 times faster than 4G. It acquired the coveted 700 MHz spectrum that can provide 6-10 km signal range with a single tower and forms a good base for offering fifth generation (5G) services in all 22 circles or regions of the country.
The Adani Group bought spectrum in the 26 GHz band, which is suitable for setting up a private network for end-to-end communication in six regions – Gujarat, Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. Airtel bought a total of 19,867.8 MHz spectrum in five bands but none in 700 MHz. Vodafone Idea acquired 6228 MHz Airwaves.
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600 MHz band unnoticed
Vaishnav said the 600 MHz band that was introduced for the first time did not get any interest, as the ecosystem around this band is yet to develop. “The spectrum purchased is enough to cover all the circles in the country. We will have good 5G coverage in the coming 2-3 years,” he said.
The government is talking to all operators to say that along with all enablers, the focus of telcos should be on improving the quality of service. He said the 26 GHz application would be for non-public networks, suitable for fixed wireless access. It is a good alternative to fiber for last mile connectivity. The minister said the allocation will be done by August 10 and 5G services are expected to start from October. “The better availability of spectrum is expected to improve the call quality,” he added.
The government had offered spectrum in 10 bands but no bids were received for airwaves in 600 MHz. About two-thirds of the bids were for the 5G band (3300Mhz and 26Ghz), while more than a quarter of the demand came in the 700MHz band – which had not sold in the last two auctions (2016 and 2021). In the auction held last year – which lasted for two days – Reliance Jio picked up spectrum for Rs 57,122.65 crore, Bharti Airtel bid for around Rs 18,699 crore, and Vodafone Idea bought spectrum for Rs 1,993.40 crore.
This year, a total of 72 gigahertz (gigahertz) radio waves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore were put on the block. In addition to powering an ultra-low latency connection that allows full-length high-quality video or movie downloads to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), fifth-generation or 5G e-health such as will enable solutions. , connected vehicles, more immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, and more.
What telcos say about 5G spectrum auction?
India’s largest telecom company, Jio, said it has secured spectrum in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands, which will enable it to “build the world’s most advanced 5G network.” Akash M Ambani, chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm, said the speed, scale and social impact of Jio’s 4G rollout are unmatched anywhere in the world. “Now, with a bigger ambition and stronger resolve, Jio is ready to lead India’s march into the 5G era.” Airtel said it has acquired 19,867.8 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz frequency bands for Rs 43,084 crore.
“The acquisition of this vast amount of spectrum already has the best pool of existing spectrum for the industry, which will mean the company does not need to spend any physical amount on spectrum for many years to come.” Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel said. “This spectrum acquisition in the latest auction has been a part of a deliberate strategy to buy the best spectrum assets at a much lower relative cost than our competition.”
In a statement, Vodafone Idea said it participated in the spectrum auction to strengthen its pan-India 4G footprint and begin the 5G rollout journey. What kind of mobile tariffs can be expected by consumers in 5G as operators start services from October, the minister said, adding that he firmly believes that the trend of affordable services in India will continue.
(with inputs from PTI)
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