5G spectrum sale: Here's what your telecom operator bought

The spectrum sale concluded on Monday, with the participation of the biggest telecom players of the country – Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, Sunil Bharti Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Gautam Adani’s Adani Data Networks. Telecom Minister Ashwini Vasihnaw announced on Monday that bids worth Rs 1,50,173 crore for 71 per cent of total 5G spectrum were out in this latest auction.

Reliance Jio ended up being the highest bidder as it acquired 24,740 MHz of spectrum worth Rs 88,078 crore. Bharti Airtel was the second-highest bidder with 19,867 MHz worth Rs 43,084 crore, While Vodafone Idea picked 2,668 MHz worth Rs 18,784 crore, and Adani Data Networks acquired 400 MHz spectrum worth Rs 212 crore. 

On offer were radiowaves in low-frequency bands (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz and 2,300 MHz), mid- (3,300 MHz) and high-frequency bands (26 GHz). 

Here’s who bought what in the 5G spectrum auction:

Reliance Jio: Ambani’s telecom company bagged spectrum in 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands across 22 circles. It plans to create the world’s most-advanced 5G network. 

As per terms of the spectrum auction, the spectrum payments will be made over 20 equated annual installments, with interest of 7.2 per cent per annum.

Bharti Airtel: Airtel acquired spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz frequency bands through the auction for Rs 43,084 cr. The spectrum has been secured for 20 years. It acquired a pan India footprint of 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands, it said. 

Vodafone Idea: The telecom giant acquired mid-band 5G spectrum (3,300 MHz band) in 17 priority circles and mmWave 5G spectrum (26 GHz band) in 16 circles. 

Adani Data Networks: The latest entrant in the telecom sector acquired 400 MHz spectrum in 26 GHz band worth Rs 212 crore.

It must be mentioned that the 700 MHz band, which had not seen any takers in the 2016 and 2021 auctions, was acquired this time. 5G services are expected to be rolled out in September. 

The 5G spectrum offers ultra-high speeds which are about 10 times faster than 4G, lag-free connectivity, and can enable billions of connected devices to share data in real-time. In addition to powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), 5G would enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more immersive augmented reality, and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming among others.

Also read: 5G spectrum auction: Jio top bidder with 24,740 MHz, Airtel 19,867 MHz