Anyone, including Huawei, can participate in 5G auction – India

Responding to question on whether Chinese companies like Huawei can purchase 5G spectrum in the upcoming auction, India’s communications ministry said any company of any country can participate in any spectrum auction in India. “..they [foreign companies] are allowed to participate in the auctions directly and apply for a Unified License subsequently through an Indian […]

Reliance Jio 4G speeds to increase as co spends 57k cr on spectrum

Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, increased its spectrum holding by 55% after it spent over Rs 57,000 cr in the just concluded auction, and will seen an increase in its 4G speeds in coming days. The company emerged as the biggest spender in the auction, and has reportedly purchased spectrum worth nearly twice the […]

Govt delays 5G auction, internet speeds to remain low

In a move that can potentially derail Reliance Jio’s plans to launch 5G services in the second half of this year, Government of India has come up with a plan to auction only 4G spectrum in March this year. The move to exclude 5G airwaves from the auction is likely to further delay the growth […]

Govt to give 5G spectrum to BSNL without auction

Government of India today said it has decided to give 5G spectrum to state-owned telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd without the company participating in the upcoming spectrum auction. In 2010, the government had set apart one block of 3G and 4G spectrum for BSNL, even as other telecom operators had to fight long […]

No dearth of 5G spectrum in India – Govt; auction next year

Government of India has denied suggestions that India does not have enough spectrum to implement 5G wireless technologies. Replying to a question in parliament, communications minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said India has set apart 275 MHz of spectrum for 5G services. He, however, admitted that Broadband India Forum — a policy think tank headed by […]

Govt exploring legal options on getting back RCom spectrum

The government of India is exploring legal options to see if it can get back the spectrum assigned to bankrupt telecom operator Reliance Communications, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said. Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Communications has three types of spectrum — GSM spectrum in the 1800 MHz band that it got along with its license, spectrum […]

ONGC, satellite operators worried about upcoming 5G spectrum auction in India

ONGC and satellite operators in India have raised objections to the upcoming 5G spectrum auctions. An umbrella body of several satellite infrastructure organizations suggested that existing facilities that fall in the bands scheduled for the ‘5G auction’ should be allowed to operate. Telecom services have encroached on higher and higher frequencies of radio spectrum with […]

SPECTRUM AUCTION 2016- Vodafone’s novel solution to beat 4G spectrum crunch

Though Vodafone has not revealed exactly which bands it has bought spectrum in, some analysts have already published charts which purportedly show the company’s spectrum purchases. According to the chart, out of the Rs 20,000 or so that Vodafone spent, about 9,221 cr has been on 2.5 GHz band, about 7,315 cr on 2.1 GHz […]

SPECTRUM AUCTION 2016- Vodafone’s novel solution to beat 4G spectrum crunch

Though Vodafone has not revealed exactly which bands it has bought spectrum in, some analysts have already published charts which purportedly show the company’s spectrum purchases. According to the chart, out of the Rs 20,000 or so that Vodafone spent, about 9,221 cr has been on 2.5 GHz band, about 7,315 cr on 2.1 GHz […]

Is this the 4G spectrum scenario in India in 2016?

Vodafone India has not yet revealed their purchase details. They are expected to release it by about 11 am today. The earlier story was based on premature information. Please await the final confirmation from the company. Meanwhile, below, you can find the possible scenario of spectrum purchase by all operators in in the 2016 auctions, […]

SPECTRUM AUCTION 2016: Vodafone emerges the biggest buyer in final results

Vodafone is estimated to have bought pan-India 4G spectrum worth around Rs 21,000 cr in the just-concluded spectrum auction — the largest India has seen. The number also makes Vodafone the biggest spender at the 2016 slug-fest. The runner up is Bharti Airtel at a distant Rs 14,200 cr. Though the final numbers and details […]

SPECTRUM AUCTION 2016- RELIANCE JIO buys spectrum worth Rs 13,672 cr in final results

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (“RJIL”) announces that it has successfully acquired the right to use 269.2 MHz (UL+DL) spectrum across all 22 Service Areas in India in the recently concluded spectrum auction conducted by DOT, Government of India. Service Area wise details of spectrum acquired are as per below. Service Area 800 MHz band (Paired) […]

TABLE: Bharti Airtel’s purchases in spectrum auction 2016 results

Bharti Airtel said that it has acquired 173.8 Mhz spectrum across 1800/2100/2300 MHz bands for a total consideration of Rs 14,244 cr in the latest spectrum auction conducted by the Department of Telecom, Government of India. The company has acquired most of its new spectrum in the crucial 2.3 GHz 4G band, and some of […]

SPECTRUM AUCTION: Vodafone gets Rs 47,700 cr from UK parent to take on Reliance Jio

In the biggest ever foreign direct investment into India, global telecom operator Vodafone has invested Rs 47,700 crore (about $7.11 bln) into its Indian arm. The investment has come days ahead of the biggest ever spectrum auction that India has seen. Vodafone has submitted earnest money of around 2,750 cr to participate in the auction. […]

Telenor says ‘no’ to upcoming spectrum auction in India

Telenor, the Norway-based telecom operator, said it has decided against participating in the upcoming telecom auctions in India as the reserve prices are too high compared to the possible return on investment. “We have, after thorough consideration, decided not to participate in the upcoming spectrum auction, as we believe the proposed spectrum prices do not […]

Allowed Airtel to buy Videocon spectrum due to auction availability – Idea Cellular

Idea Cellular today told investors that it withdrew from a spectrum trading deal with Videocon — allowing Bharti Airtel to buy the airwaves — after it became clear that spectrum in the same band was  coming up for auction next month. “TRAI  announced total quantum of spectrum that was available and prices. We realized that […]

Reliance Jio has nearly twice as much 4G spectrum as Airtel even after Aircel deal

Reliance Jio continues to hold a substantial spectrum advantage over nearest rival Bharti Airtel, even after the latter’s recently announced deal to purchase airwaves from Aircel Cellular. According to the data collected from various sources including company reports, Jio holds spectrum in 62 of the 66 4G slots in the country,  while Bharti Airtel holds […]

Vodafone lauds government’s telecom and spectrum reforms

In a rare gesture, a big telecom company has lauded the government’s recent changes in telecom policy. The Modi government has, in recent months, cleared long-pending reforms such as allowing the trading of spectrum, cutting levies and initiating rearrangement (harmonization) of spectrum. Usually, the relationship between the government and big operators tends to be strained […]

How Ravishankar Prasad can resolve the 700 MHz spectrum auction pricing problem

India is getting ready for a digital revolution by auctioning 700 MHz spectrum that has the potential to take high-speed Internet to every village in the country. However, telecom operators — who have to play the role of the enablers — are not popping open the bubbly quite yet. The reason for their misgivings is […]