India’s Big 5G Auction: Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Reliance Jio Compete for High-Speed Internet
The Indian government is set to hold a 5G spectrum auction on June 25, 2024. The goal is to provide affordable and high-quality telecom services to the people of India.
Key Players
The final bidders in this auction are Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Reliance Jio Infocomm. They are competing for 10,523.15 MHz of 5G airwaves worth Rs 96,317.65 crore.
Earnest Money Deposits
| Company | EMD Amount (Rs) |
|---|---|
| Bharti Airtel | 1,050 crore |
| Vodafone Idea | 300 crore |
| Reliance Jio Infocomm | 3,000 crore |
Eligibility Points
| Company | Points |
|---|---|
| Reliance Jio Infocomm | 21,363 |
| Bharti Airtel | 7,613 |
| Vodafone Idea | 2,200 |
Auction Details
The auction will cover eight key bands: 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz. The spectrum will be assigned for 20 years, and successful bidders can make payments in 20 equal annual installments with an interest rate of 8.65%.
Background
In July 2022, the government raised over Rs 1.5 lakh crore during India’s first-ever 5G auction. The fifth-generation mobile network, or 5G, can send massive amounts of data quickly and offers extremely low latency compared to 4G and 3G, making it ten times faster than 4G.
