5G services to debut in October and be allocated by August 10, says Ashwini Vaishnaw | Digit

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav says 5G would be allocated on August 10. Union Minister indicated services would begin in October. The government offered spectrum in 10 bands but not 600 MHz.

Ashwini Vaishnav, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & IT, stated 5G allocation would be announced by August 10, and services will begin in October. “Call quality should improve with more spectrum,” he said. Moreover, a fifth of the bids was for the 700 Mhz band, which had gone unsold in the previous two auctions (2016 and 2021).

1.5 Lakh Crore Proposals In 5G Spectrum Auction

India’s largest telecom spectrum auction drew a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore of bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio grabbing almost half of all airwaves with an Rs 88,078 crore bid. It spent this for 24,740 MHz of airwaves over five bands capable of 10x faster 4G speeds. It got a 700 MHz spectrum that may deliver 6-10 km of signal range with one tower and create a suitable platform for supplying 5G services in all 22 circles or zones in the nation.

On the other hand, Gautam Adani’s business spent Rs 212 crore for 400 MHz, or less than 1% of the total spectrum auctioned, in a band not utilized for public telephones. Adani group purchased a 26 GHz spectrum across Gujarat, Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh to build a private network for end-to-end communication.

Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel spent about Rs 43,084 crore and Vodafone Idea Ltd paid Rs 18,799 crore. Airtel purchased 19,867.8 MHz in five bands but not 700 MHz. Vodafone Idea bought 6228 MHz. 

51,236 MHz of the 72,098 MHz spectrum available over 10 bands were sold, or 71% of the available spectrum. Mr. Vaishnaw envisions that this auction and the subsequent spectrum allocations to corporations would result in improved service quality for customers nationwide.

The government expects to collect Rs 13,365 crore in the first year from bids totaling Rs 1,50,173 crore.

5G would enable e-health, linked automobiles, immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and sophisticated mobile cloud gaming, among other options. Jio, India’s biggest telecom company, purchased 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz spectrum to “create the world’s most sophisticated 5G network.”

The minister said customers should anticipate reasonable 5G mobile tariffs when carriers begin rolling out services in October.

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