5G spectrum auction in India BEGINS! Jio, Airtel, Adani to bid for 5G airwaves

5G spectrum auction begins in India. The auction will oversee Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Adani bid for the airwaves. Know all details.

5G spectrum auction begins today, Jio expected to get the most number of airwaves for its network. (REUTERS)

5G spectrum auction has begun today! The bidding process began at 10 am and will go on till 6 pm, based on a report from PTI. As has been confirmed previously, the auction will see telecom operators such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea bid for the 5G airwaves in the country. Additionally, Adani Enterprises will also participate in the bidding process to acquire 5G airwaves. The details of the auction are yet to come out.

As part of the spectrum auction, the telecom department is expecting revenue of at least Rs. 70,000 crores to Rs. 1 lakh crore. The auction will be held for spectrum in various low bands such 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz). It will also be held for the mid 3300 MHz band and the high 26 GHz frequency band.

5G spectrum auction begins today

With an earlier report, it was said that Reliance Jio had paid the highest amount of Earnest Money Deposit for the auction, leading the chart at Rs. 14,000 crores. Adani Enterprises contributed the minimum amount at Rs. 100 crores. Hence, it will be Jio who will get the most amount of 5G airwaves for its services, while Airtel and Vodafone India will follow.

The entry of Adani Enterprises into the auction bidding was the most surprising, and many had considered that Adani would venture into the commercial telecom space. However, the company later clarified that it wants to secure 5G airwaves for its private network to support its business such as data centers, power, and airports. It would jump into the consumer telecom space.

A previous Bloomberg report also cited that Bharti Airtel could restrict its bidding to 5G spectrum — 100MHz in 3.5GHz band and 500MHz in 26GHz band. It may also add spectrum in 900MHz and 1800MHz bands in metro city circles such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata