India’s 5G spectrum auction ended this week with carriers spending a total of $ 19 billion. Airtel has already announced that it is ready to start rolling out 5G coverage across the country starting at the end of this month. The carrier has partnered with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung to help with the launch and infrastructure.
The company spent ₹ 431 billion ($ 5.45 billion) to acquire spectrum in the 900Mhz, 1,800MHz, 2,100Mhz and 3,300MHz bands for 5G sub-6GHz and in the 26GHz band for mmWave. Most of its spectrum lies in the 3,300 MHz and 26 GHz bands. The company acquired a total of 19.8 GHz of spectrum and secured the rights for the next 20 years.
The 5G rollout will begin in key cities, but the company hasn’t posted a public timeline for the rollout. Smartphone makers have been selling 5G compatible phones in the country for some time now and their users will finally be able to experience next generation connectivity.
Rivals Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea also bought 5G spectrum, spending $ 11.2 billion for 24.7 GHz and $ 2.4 billion for 6.2 GHz respectively. The Adani Group also bought a small slice of spectrum. They are working to launch their own next generation networks.
If you’re curious, here are the official auction results (attention: PDF), showing which carrier bought how much spectrum in each band in each service area and how much they paid for it.
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Airtel said: “We are delighted to announce that Airtel will begin the rollout of 5G services in August. Our network agreements are finalized and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from around the world to offer all the benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers. India’s transition to a digital economy will be driven by telecommunications and 5G represents a revolutionary opportunity to drive the digital transformation of India’s industries, businesses and socio-economic development. “
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