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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, has successfully concluded the Spectrum Auction 2023-24, marking a step in meeting the evolving spectrum needs of India’s telecom service providers.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Communications, the auction, held over two days from June 25 to June 26, resulted in the sale of 141.4 MHz of spectrum across multiple frequency bands, generating a total revenue of Rs 11,340 crores.
The auction aimed to address the expiring spectrum licences set for renewal in 2024 and to sell off unsold spectrum from the previous auction held in 2022.
The auction offered spectrum across the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands.
However, activity was primarily seen in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2500 MHz bands, with no bids in the 800 MHz, 2300 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, likely due to recent 5G spectrum allocations.
The auction saw participation from all three major telecom operators in India–Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, and Vodafone Idea–who collectively purchased 141.4 MHz of spectrum, accounting for 26.5% of the available 533.6 MHz.
The total revenue from the auction amounted to Rs 11,340 crores.
Bharti Airtel acquired a portion of spectrum, securing 42 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 35 MHz in the 1800 MHz band, and 20 MHz in the 2100 MHz band, totaling 97 MHz of spectrum. This acquisition amounted to Rs 6,856.76 crores.
Reliance Jio Infocomm focused its bids on the 900 MHz band, acquiring 14.4 MHz of spectrum for Rs 973.62 crores.
Vodafone Idea secured spectrum in three bands, including 18.8 MHz in the 900 MHz band, 1.2 MHz in the 1800 MHz band, and 10 MHz in the 2500 MHz band, totaling 30 MHz for Rs 3,510.40 crores.
