Spectrum Auction

Cabinet waives bank guarantee for spectrum purchased in past auctions

The Union Cabinet has waived the requirement to submit bank guarantees for spectrum purchased through auctions held before 2022, according to sources. The move brings huge relief to debt-ridden Vodafone Idea as it already crossed the timeline to submit Rs 24,746.9 crore bank guarantee for spectrum payment coming up between October 2025 and September 2026. The decision will also provide relief to Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio who have bought radiowaves through various auctions that were held before 2022. "Cabinet has waived the requirement of bank guarantees as per the relief sought by telcos," a source said. As part of telecom reforms announced in September 2021, the government has already waived the requirement of depositing bank guarantees for spectrum purchased through auctions. Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra in the company's earning call had said the bank guarantees will impact the company's ability to seek debt facilities from the banks which the firm requires for investm

Satellite spectrum wars: No auction, foreign companies likely to benefit

Despite domestic telcos' insistence, earlier legal judgements have only called auction 'preferable' in the case of natural resources

Starlink vs Jio: Trai extends satellite spectrum pricing debate deadline

Major satellite players like Musk's Starlink and Jeff Bezos-owned Amazon Kuiper are advocating for lower spectrum prices in India

Elon Musk takes on Ambani over satellite spectrum allocation in India

The disagreement centres around whether satellite broadband spectrum should be auctioned or administratively allocated in India

Spectrum auction: Govt to issue demand note to telcos this week for payment

The telecom department is expected to issue a demand note to telcos this week for payment of spectrum they bought in the just-concluded auction, according to a source. The auction -- lasted for two days spanning seven rounds this time around - witnessed the sale of 141.4 MHz of radio waves for Rs 11,340.78 crore. In all, 10,500 MHz of radiowaves used for mobile services worth over Rs 96,238 crore were placed on the block during the auction started on June 25. Sunil Mittal's Airtel emerged as the biggest bidder for radio waves, cornering about 60 per cent of the Rs 11,341 crore worth of spectrum sold in this auction. Airtel bid and won airwaves worth Rs 6,856.76 crore, and rival Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio - the market leader - got Rs 973.62 crore worth of spectrum - the least in the three-way contest. Vodafone Idea's (VIL) bid for spectrum was valued at about Rs 3510.4 crore. As per sources, the demand note would outline both options - upfront payment or payment via instalments

Right approach

Annual, need-based spectrum auction is a win-win for all

Surprisingly large mid-band spectrum purchase to boost Vi's 4G: Analysts

Latest spectrum won't change sector dynamics, eyes on tariff action, they say

Spectrum auction ends on Day 2 with total Rs 11,340 cr bids, officials say

Volume limited as large part of spectrum already auctioned, says Scindia

Bharti Airtel acquires 97 MHz of spectrum worth Rs 6,857 crore for 20 years

The spectrum auction saw the government receive Rs 11,300 crore in bids over seven rounds, with Airtel emerging as the largest overall bidder

Spectrum auction ends in just 2 days with bids worth Rs 11,340 crore

An auction of radiowaves that carry voice and data signals for mobile phones ended within two days on Wednesday, garnering less than 12 per cent of the Rs 96,238 crore minimum value that the government had estimated for the spectrum on offer. The auction, where a total of 10 GHz of spectrum ranging between 800 MHz to 26 GHz was offered, got total bids worth Rs 11,340 crore, sources with knowledge of the matter said. Five rounds of bidding happened on the opening day on June 25, but Wednesday did not see much action, leading to officials declaring the end of the auction at around 1130 hrs. The total bids received is more or less the same, as what came in on Tuesday, sources said, adding only 140-150 MHz are estimated to have been sold. On offer were radiowaves in the bands of -- 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz and 26 GHz. During the last auction in 2022, which turned out to be a seven-day affair, a record over Rs 1.5 lakh crore worth of 5G ..

Telcos eye four spectrum bands as auction enters round 4 on Day 1

Telecom operators showed interest in four spectrum bands -- 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, and 2,500 MHz -- as the auction entered the fourth round around 3pm on Tuesday, sources said. Spectrum auction for over 10,500 Mhz mobile services worth over Rs 96,238 crore started at 10 am, an official statement said. "There was activity in four spectrum rounds initially -- 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, and 2,500 MHz band. Spectrum auction entered the fourth round around 3pm," a source told PTI. It is the 10th spectrum auction since the process for sale of radiowaves started through an online bidding process in 2010. The last spectrum auction was held in August 2022, which, for the first time, included radio waves for 5G services. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has initiated the spectrum auction and notice inviting applications was issued on March 8. "The Ministry of Communications announced that the following spectrum bands will go up for bidding in the upcoming auction -- 8

Telecom dept to begin auctions for Rs 96,318 crore spectrum on Tuesday

With lower EMD and more focus on renewals, auctions may be muted

Spectrum auction postponed by 20 days, now scheduled for June 25: DoT

This is the second rescheduling of the auction, after it was pushed back from May 20 to June 6

Telecom dept defers live auction of eight spectrum bands to June 25

The Department of Telecom (DoT) on Tuesday postponed the spectrum auction by 19 days to June 25, as per information available on its website. According to amendments made in the notice inviting applications for bids on Tuesday, the new date for "start of the live auction" has been changed to June 25 from June 6. The government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of about Rs 96,317 crore. All the available spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands are part of the auction. Reliance Jio has deposited the highest earnest money of Rs 3,000 crore for the spectrum auction, which gives the company the potential to bid for maximum radiowaves. According to pre-qualified bidder details released by the DoT, Bharti Airtel has submitted the earnest money deposit (EMD) of Rs 1,050 crore and Vodafone Idea (VIL) of Rs 300 crore. Companies get points based on the EMD amount they have deposited,

Predictable frequency

Annual spectrum auction will help telcos

Spectrum auction: All eyes on Airtel, may spend Rs 3,800 cr, analysts say

Bidding intensity to be low as Jio, Airtel still have spare network capacity for 5G

Spectrum auction for eight bands to start from 20 May 2024: DoT notice

The upcoming spectrum auction will start from May 20, according to the notice inviting application released by the Department of Telecom on Friday. Government will auction eight spectrum bands for mobile phone services at a base price of Rs 96,317.65 crore. Spectrum which is held by certain companies undergoing insolvency processes as well as frequencies expiring this year will also be put on auction.

Next spectrum auction to be held in February, reserve price to remain same

Lesser revenue generation expected as telecom operators have already bought most 5G airwaves

Govt likely to tweak spectrum clauses in the draft Telecom Bill 2022

In 2012, the Supreme Court rejected the policy of first-come-first-served through which spectrum was given to telcos by the government

Voda Idea to pay Rs 1,680 cr auction instalment with delay of 30 days

Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea has sought 30 days more time to pay around Rs 1,680 crore for spectrum auction instalment due on Thursday, a senior company official said on Wednesday. The company has proposed to pay the amount with interest. "We have submitted a letter to DoT that we propose to pay the spectrum auction instalments of Rs 1,680 crore towards the 2022 auction, which is due on August 17, by availing the grace period of 30 days with interest, in accordance with the terms of NIA (Notice Inviting Applications)," Vodafone Idea chief financial officer Murthy GVAS said during the earnings calls. The development comes even after one of the promoters has confirmed to the company that it will provide direct or indirect financial support to the extent of Rs 2,000 crore in the event of any fund requirement for meeting impending payment obligations. The company has also acquired a 5G spectrum in mid-band (3300 megahertz) and millimetre wave in the 26 GHz band in July 2022 spectrum ...