Spectrum Auction Ends; Reliance Jio Biggest Buyer With Spectrum Worth ₹57,122-cr, Airtel Acquired Spectrum Worth ₹18,699 Crore

Telecom giant Reliance Jio emerged as the biggest buyer in the latest 4G spectrum auction conducted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) by acquiring 488.35 MHz radiowaves worth ₹57,122.65 crore.

Over 2,250 MHz of spectrum, that carry telecom signals, in seven bands worth nearly ₹4 lakh crore at the reserve or start price, was offered for bidding in the auction that began on Monday (Mar 1).

Three bidders – Bharti Airtel Ltd, Vodafone Idea Ltd, and Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd – participated in the auction.

The auction concluded today after a total of 6 rounds of bidding. The e-auction was based on Simultaneous Multiple Round Ascending Auction (SMRA) methodology.

“The value of the spectrum for which there are winning bids is Rs 77,814.80 crore. Hence, incremental bids for Rs 668.20 crore were made today”, said Anshu Prakash, Secretary, DoT, on second and concluding day of Spectrum Auction 2021.

Reliance Jio bought ₹57,122.65 crore worth of spectrum while Vodafone Idea Ltd picked ₹1,993.40 crore worth of airwaves.

Bharti Airtel said that it has acquired 355.45 MHz spectrum across Sub-Giga Hertz (Sub GHz), mid band and 2300 MHz bands for a total consideration of Rs 18,699 crore in the latest spectrum auction.

Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) for the spectrum acquired in this auction will be payable at the rate of 3% of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of the licensee, excluding revenue from wireline services.

With the deployment of additional spectrum acquired in this auction in the networks of Telecom Service Providers, the Quality of Service and customer experience of telecom consumers across the country are expected to improve.