The central government will, on Tuesday, start the biggest spectrum auction of airwaves capable of offering fifth-generation or 5G telecom for ultra-high-speed internet, which will pave the way for 10 times faster services. Four applicants will participate in the bidding race.
Here are 5 points on the auction process:
The government will put on the block as much as 72 GHz of the spectrum during the auction. India's largest telecom operator, Reliance-owned Jio, Sunil Bharti Mittal's Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and Adani Data will participate in the auction race.
The four behemoth firms have submitted a combined Rs 21,400 core in earnest money deposit (EMD). Jio has submitted Rs 14,000 crore, Bharti Airtel has put in Rs 5,500 crore and Adani Data Networks Rs 100 crore. Vodafone Idea has submitted an EMD of Rs 2,200 crore.
The EMD amounts give a broad indication of players' appetite, strategy and plan for picking up spectrum in an auction. It also determines the eligibility points through which telcos target a specific amount of spectrum in a given circle.
The auction will be held for radiowaves in various low-frequency bands (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), mid (3300 megahertz) and high-frequency bands (26GHz).
Adani Data's entry earlier this month had surprised market watchers, but the company refuted the reports of a foray into the consumer space and any clash with Jio. The company said the airwaves it is seeking are meant to set up a private network to help digitise its businesses from airports to energy to data centres.
