The much-anticipated 5G spectrum auction is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

The government has put up a total of 72 GHz of the spectrum on auction with a validity of 20 years.

Bands across the Low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz) Mid (3.3 - 3.67 GHz) and High (26 GHz) frequencies, worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore, will be up for bidding.

Four bidders will be participating in the auction — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks (a private player). Reliance Jio has submitted an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of Rs 14,000 crore, the highest so far; Bharti Airtel is at Rs 5,500 crore EMD, closely followed by Vodafone Idea with an EMD of Rs 2,200 crore. The newest in the telecom game, Adani Data, is last on the list at Rs 100 crore EMD.

Also Read: Big subscriber addition for Reliance Jio ahead of 5G auction

Based on the EMD, telecom companies are eligible to bid up to Rs 1.9 lakh crore. This time, analysts are expecting the bids to rise as high as six to eight times the EMD. The government is estimating the revenue collection to be between Rs 80,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore.

The Adani group will most likely steer clear of the retail market and will stick to eyeing a limited spectrum for private captive networks.

The spectrum allocation will happen most likely in August, post-auction.

Also Read: India is gearing up for 5G — what are the parallels we can draw from its global rollout

First Published:Jul 25, 2022 5:05 PM IST