New Delhi

On Wednesday, bids exceeding Rs 11,000 crore were placed in the 5G spectrum auction, with Bharat Airtel emerging as the highest bidder.

In the Rs 96,000 crore auction held by the government, the 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz bands saw the highest demand for spectrum.

Telecom expert Parag Kar states that bids of Rs 3,579 crore were placed in the 1800 MHz spectrum, compared to Rs 6,985 crore in the 900 MHz band.

Kar stated on the social networking site X that Vodafone Idea (VI) was the only bidder in the 2500 MHz band and Airtel was the only bidder in the 2100 MHz band, with a bid of Rs 545 crore each.

Eight frequency bands, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz, make up the telecom department’s roughly 10,500 MHz spectrum.

Three companies participated in the 5G spectrum auction: Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio Infocomm, and Bharti Airtel.

Analysts predict that the 5G auctions will accelerate the nationwide implementation of 5G services, resulting in expanded coverage and significantly better connectivity.

By the end of 2029, 5G subscriptions in India are expected to total about 840 million, or 65% of all mobile subscriptions in the nation, according to the most recent Ericsson Mobility Report, which was released on Wednesday.

In 2022, 5G telecom spectrum sold for a record-breaking Rs 1.5 lakh crore, with Bharti Airtel winning the bidding with a price of Rs 43,084 crore.