The rollout of the much-awaited 5G network, promising to give super-fast connectivity, is now in process in India, with the 5G spectrum auction currently underway, which has sparked a four-way bidding war between some big telecom companies.
The 5G spectrum auction kicked off yesterday, July 26, with four companies bidding for the spectrum of the network in India once it’s rolled out. The auction for the 5G network surpassed all records, with the bid crossing Rs 1.45 lakh crore only on Day 1.
The government received confirmed spectrum bids worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore after the completion of four rounds of spectrum bidding on an opening day on Tuesday, as per PTI reports. Mentioned below are the four companies that are currently bidding in the 5G spectrum auction.
5G spectrum auction: List of companies in bid
- Reliance Jio
- Bharti Airtel
- Vodafone-Idea
- Adani group firm
Though details of the bids are not announced as yet, ICICI Securities said its analysis shows that Jio has likely bid for the highest spectrum worth Rs 80,100 crore, and likely opted for 10MHz spectrum in the premium 700MHz band, as per PTI reports.
Where will 5G be rolled out first?
According to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the 5G rollout will initially be done in thirteen cities. Here’s a list of potential cities where 5G will be rolled out –
- Ahmedabad
- Bengaluru
- Chandigarh
- Delhi
- Chennai
- Gandhinagar
- Gurugram
- Hyderabad
- Jamnagar
- Kolkata
- Lucknow
- Mumbai
- Pune
Till now, no information regarding the telecom operators who will roll out 5G has been released yet, but the information is expected to be out soon after the spectrum auction. It has also been predicted that 5G network will be of significantly higher rates than 4G.
Money at stake in 5G spectrum bid
The first day of the 5G spectrum bid saw a record-high rate of Rs 1.45 lakh crore on Tuesday, with the bid on Day 2 expected to go even higher. The details of the highest bidders have not been released, and the details will be out once the auction concludes.
According to ICICI Securities, Reliance Jio has most likely opted for a 10MHz spectrum in the premium 700MHz band and has become the highest bidder in the auction till now, bidding as many as Rs 80,000 crores on Day 1.
Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel may have bid for spectrum worth Rs 45,000 crore, spending 20 percent more than expected, possibly in 1800MHz and 2100MHz bands. Vodafone Idea Ltd has likely bid for Rs 18,400 crore for spectrum, while Adani Data Networks should have picked 26GHz spectrum pan-India, as per PTI reports.
(With PTI inputs)
READ | 5G auction in India: Breaking records, bids worth whopping Rs 1.45 lakh crore received on Day 1
