Telcos may buy 4G spectrum due to rise in data consumption, says COAI

The telecom sector body had earlier voiced against the spectrum auction due to financial stress in the sector

Telecom companies Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel may have appetite to buy 4G spectrum in the proposed auction of radio waves to address demand in data consumption, industry body COAI said on Friday.

The government is planning to hold the next round of spectrum auction by October this year in which it would sell around 8,000 megahertz of radio waves across several bands at a cumulative value of around Rs 3.8 trillion that can be used for 4G services.

"I think Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have indicated they will be interested in acquiring 4G spectrum because of the rise in demand