Spectrum auctions end with muted bidding amid strategy shift by telcos

Spectrum auctions ended on Wednesday with the Centre receiving bids worth just over ₹11,000 crore as Reliance Jio, the biggest buyer of pan-India 5G spectrum in the previous round of auction, limited its purchase of airwaves in only two circles: Bihar and West Bengal.

Bharti Airtel emerged as the largest spender in the auctions, spending ₹6,857 crore to consolidate their holdings in subGHz spectrum bands. Spectrum in the subGHZ bands is best suited for mobile broadband services. Vodafone Idea, despite struggling with financial issues, spent ₹3,510 crore to buy spectrum in 11 circles. Jio, which had bid over ₹88,000 crore in the previous auction, spent only 973 crore this time, largely because it already has sufficient airwaves pan-India to offer 5G services.