India to start its first major 5G spectrum sale, big players running the bid
India’s largest spectrum auction started today with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Enterprises being the biggest bidders.
Today marks the start of India’s largest spectrum auction, which is for 72 GHz (gigahertz) of 5G airwaves and is valued at Rs 4.3 lakh crore. Reliance Jio, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is competing for the 5G spectrum with Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Adani Enterprises entity.
A total of 72 GHz (gigahertz) of 5G airwaves worth Rs 4.3 lakh crore were up for auction on Tuesday, making it the largest-ever spectrum auction in India.
The bidding has started with four companies: Adani Data Networks, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. On July 26, the bid opening began at 10 am and will last until 6 pm.
According to Department of Telecom (DoT) sources, how long the auction lasts will be determined by the real demand for radiowaves as well as the strategies each bidder employs.
The adoption of cutting-edge use-cases and technology by the impending 5G services has the potential to lead to the emergence of new age businesses, increased revenue for businesses, and employment opportunities.
Here are a few things we should know about the 5G spectrum.
The telecom government anticipates the auctions to bring in anywhere from 70,000 to 1 lakh crores.
Spectrum in a variety of low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), mid (3300 MHz), and high (26 GHz) frequency bands will be up for auction.
Reliance, owned by Mukesh Ambani, Analysts predict that Jio will spend the most money, followed by Bharti Airtel, with modest involvement from Vodafone Idea and Adani Group. Jio has made a tiny deposit of $100 crore while competitor Adani company recently made a 14,000 crore Earnest Money Deposit (EMD).
EMD itself is a good indicator of how many airwaves a corporation can bid for in the auction.
