The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) and Adani Data Networks as the final participants for the auction of 5G spectrum, scheduled to start on July 26, 2022. The government plans to auction 72 Ghz of spectrum valid for 20 years which are worth Rs 4.3 trillion at base price. Frequency bands on sale ranges from low (600 Mhz, 700 Mhz, 800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz, 2300 Mhz, 2500 Mhz) and mid (3.3-3.67 Ghz) to high (26 Ghz).
Jio has submitted the earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 140 billion, the highest among all the companies bidding for 5G airwaves. While, Airtel put in EMD of Rs 55 billion, Vi submitting Rs 22 billion as earnest money. Meanwhile, Adani Data Networks deposited Rs 1 billion, which possibly underlined its plan for picking up limited airwaves in select areas for captive networks.
The quantum of EMD indicates a company’s bidding strategy and spectrum buying capacity as it gives the applicant eligibility points, based on which it can target a certain quantum of airwaves in select or all available bands in specific or all circles. Meanwhile, most of the interest is expected to be around the C band (3.3-3.67 Ghz) airwaves, around which most of the 5G ecosystem has developed globally, and the millimetre wave of 26 GHz band which all the telcos will possibly bid for.
