Around Rs 96,238 crore worth of spectrum will be up for auction beginning Tuesday as telecom giants compete for airwaves key to provide 5G services.
"The government begins the auction of Spectrum for Telecom Services today at 10:00 AM," an official statement said.
With eight bands put for auction, competition is expected to be seen most in the bid for the coveted 3,300 Mhz band as it consists of airwave chunks key to providing 5G services at minimal capital expenditure.
Radiowave between 20 Mhz and -100 Mhz will be up for auction in the 3,300 Mhz band. Besides this band, all the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz and 26 GHz bands are also part of the auction.
This is the 10th spectrum auction, which was originally scheduled for May 20 and was postponed twice. The previous auction was held in August 2022, when airwave chunks for 5G services were included for the first time.
Meanwhile, ITU-APT Foundation of India President Bharat Bhatia said the government should also auction the spectrum bands in 600 MHz and 1400 MHz at an early date as they are crucial for the industry.
Of the three telecom operators, Reliance Jio will have the potential to bid for maximum radio waves as the Mukesh Ambani-owned company has the highest earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 3,000 crore for the auction, as per pre-qualified bidder details released by the Department of Telecommunications. Bharti Airtel has an EMD of Rs 1,050 crore and Vodafone Idea has deposited Rs 300 crore.
Reports said that the spectrum auction is likely to see muted action with telecom firms bidding for specific bands.