5G Spectrum Auction Ends, Govt Nets Over Rs 1.5 Lakh Crore, Jio Top Bidder. Key Points

5G Spectrum Auction: Reliance Jio was the top bidder, acquiring 24,740 MHz spectrum. Bharti Airtel acquired 19,867 MHz spectrum in various bands.

The 5G spectrum auction concluded on Monday

Source : Getty Images

The 5G spectrum auction, which stretched for seven days, concluded on Monday, with the government netting Rs 1,50,173 crore, said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Reliance Jio was the top bidder, acquiring 24,740 MHz spectrum, for Rs 88,078 crore. Sunil Bharti Mittal's Bharti Airtel bought 19,867 MHz airwave across different bands for Rs 43,084 crore. Vodafone Idea snapped up 2,668 MHz spectrum for Rs 18,784 crore. 

New entrant Adani Data Networks bought 400 Mhz 5G airwaves in the 26 GHz band to be used for its captive private networks, spending Rs 212 crore.

Of the 72,098 MHz of spectrum offered across 10 bands, 51,236 MHz, or 71 per cent, was sold. Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government, in the first year, would get Rs 13,365 crore payment for the spectrum.

"Auction has been completed and in the next few days, till August 12, all formalities, including approving and allocating, taking upfront payments will be completed. It seems we would be able to launch 5G in the country by October," ANI quoted Ashwini Vaishnaw as saying.

Jio acquired spectrum across several bands, including the coveted 700 MHz band that can provide 6-10 km of signal range and forms a good base for 5G in all 22 circles in the country, PTI reported.

Last year, Rs 77,815 crore worth 4G airwaves were sold. In 2010, the government garnered Rs 50,968.37 crore from 3G auction.

A total of 72 GHz (gigahertz) of radiowaves worth Rs 4.3 lakh crore were up for bidding. The auction was held for spectrum in various low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), mid (3300 MHz) and high (26 GHz) frequency bands.

Jio On 5G Spectrum Auction

In a statement, Jio said, "With its unmatched 700 MHz spectrum footprint, Jio will be the only operator providing pan-India True 5G services with faster speeds, lower latency and massive connectivity."

Akash Ambani, chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said Jio was committed to offering world-class, affordable 5G and 5G-enabled services.

"The speed, scale and societal impact of Jio’s 4G rollout is unmatched anywhere in the world. Now, with a bigger ambition and stronger resolve, Jio is set to lead India’s march into the 5G era," Ambani said.

"We will celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' with a pan India 5G rollout. We will provide services, platforms and solutions that will accelerate India’s digital revolution, especially in crucial sectors like education, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing and e-governance and make another proud contribution to Prime Minister's Digital India Mission," he further said.

Airtel On 5G Spectrum Auction

Airtel said it would launch 5G services in every part of the country starting with key cities.  Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Bharti Airtel, said the firm would deliver the best 5G experience in India in terms of coverage, speeds and latency.

"Airtel is delighted with the results of the 5G auction. This spectrum acquisition at the latest auction has been a part of a deliberate strategy to buy the best spectrum assets at a substantially lower relative cost compared to our competition. This will allow us to raise the bar on innovation and address the emerging needs of every discerning customer who demands the best experience in India," he said.

What Will 5G Offer?

5G will offer data speeds about 10 times faster than 4G, lag-free connectivity, and can enable billions of connected devices to share data in real-time. It will also allow downloading of high-quality videos or movies in a matter of seconds.

5G will also 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.