Vodafone will pay the highest amount to the government as a result of the 2014 2G spectrum auction, followed by Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Idea Cellular.
Vodafone will pay Rs 196.4 bln ($3.15 bln), followed by Airtel which will pay about Rs 185.5 bln, Reliance Jio Infocomm, which will pay around Rs 11.1 bln and Idea, which will pay about Rs 11 bln. (See auction results table.)
In terms of the quantum of spectrum procured through the auction, Bharti Airtel is clearly ahead. However, Vodafone splurged to protect its most profitable operation – Mumbai – by buying 11 MHz of 900 MHz spectrum out of the total 16 MHz that was available. This cost Vodafone Rs 6194 cr (61.2 bln), about $1 bln.
Telenor Telewings, which expanded into Assam with the auctions, will pay Rs 8.4 bln. Telewings also augmented its spectrum holding in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The lowest amount will be paid by Reliance Communications, which increased its holding in Mumbai 1800 MHz band by 1.5 MHz at a cost of Rs 1.63 bln.
In terms of premium over reserve prices, ranked at the top was Delhi’s 900 MHz spectrum, which was finally sold for more than twice the reserve price, followed by 900 MHz spectrum in Mumbai and Kolkata. (See Results Chart)
Eleven out of the 22 circles saw no price increase in the auction.