“Spectrum Auction Yields Bids Worth Over Rs. 11,000 Crore”
The two-day spectrum auction conducted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) concluded on Wednesday with total bids amounting to Rs. 11,340 crore. This was less than 12% of the minimum reserve price of Rs. 96,238 crore estimated by the government for the airwaves available in various bands.
A total of 10 GHz of spectrum in the frequency ranges of 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz was put up for auction by the DoT. Bidding took place over 5 rounds on the first day but saw little activity on the second day, leading auction officials to end the process in the early afternoon.
Sources familiar with the auction details indicated around 140-150 MHz of spectrum was likely sold to telecom operators. This is similar to the volume purchased on the first day of bidding. The last major spectrum auction held in 2021 had lasted 7 days and raked in over Rs. 1.5 lakh crore, making it highly successful.
While the funds raised this time are limited, the DoT has still been able to carry out its policy objective of releasing more airwaves to boost connectivity. Operators now have additional spectrum that can be deployed to enhance mobile and internet coverage nationwide.
