Bharti Airtel Thursday said it has not only renewed telecom spectrum in the 900 MHz band for all the six areas where the licence period was expiring this year, but also for additional circles across the bands.
The company said the acquisition of airwaves is to the tune of 111.6 MHz across 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for a total consideration of Rs. 29,130 crores. It was the second highest buidder after Idea Cellular.
"Of this, Rs.17,618 crores has been spent on the renewal of existing spectrum while the balance Rs.11,512 crores has been spent on procuring new spectrum," the company said in a statement.
The provisional results were were announced by the government after the approval of the Supreme Court on Thursday. The actual award of spectrum is subject to the apex court's further orders on the matter.
"We've secured a 20-year road map and have a strong platform to lead the 'digital India story'," said Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive for India and South Asia, adding that the auction design and scarcity resulted in exorbitant bids.
"We hope that in future auctions, the government will make available adequate spectrum by securing it from agencies and operators who are underutilising this vital resource," he said in a statement.
