28 July 2022

India has fired the starting gun on its first 5G auction, offering low, mid and high-band 5G spectrum to the operators for the first time, with a total of 72GHz of spectrum being made available

Operators can bid for spectrum in the 600MHz, 700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1.8GHz, 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz, 3.3GHz, and 26GHz bands. Furthermore,licences awarded will be valid for 20 years, with equal payments expected annually throughout this period. Winning bidders may also choose to surrender the spectrum after 10 years with no further payment obligations.

India’s three nationwide mobile operators – Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) – are expected to bid, with the auction is expected to be finished by the end of the month.