<keyword id="20509941" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spectrum-auction" source="keywords">Spectrum auction</keyword> for <keyword id="22185968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mobile-radiowaves-services" source="keywords">mobile radiowaves services</keyword> worth Rs 96,000 crore ended with <keyword id="20055672" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bids" source="keywords">bids</keyword> worth about Rs 11,000 crore, according to sources. The <keyword id="19900449" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="government" source="keywords">government</keyword> has put over 10,500 Mhz spectrum in eight <keyword id="21197262" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="frequency-bands" source="keywords">frequency bands</keyword> -- 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz, 2,500 MHz, 3,300 MHz and 26 GHz, valued at Rs 96,238 crore at base price, for auction. "There were no fresh bids in the morning session. The auction has ended with bids worth about Rs 11,000 crore," the source said, adding that <keyword id="19951944" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Bharti Airtel" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Bharti Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> has emerged as the biggest bidder in the auction. During the last auction in 2022, which turned out to be a seven-day affair, a record over Rs 1.5 lakh crore worth of 5G telecom spectrum was sold, with billionaire <keyword id="19916798" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani" source="keywords">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>'s <keyword id="19906886" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jio" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Jio" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Jio">Jio</keyword> emerging as the top bidder, cornering nearly half of all the airwaves (worth Rs 88,078 crore). At that time, telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel made a successful bid of Rs 43,084 crore, while Vodafone Idea bought Spectrum for Rs 18,799 crore. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/stanley-lifestyles-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111261779.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/stanley-lifestyles-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111261779.cms" target="_blank">Stanley Lifestyles IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/oneplus-nord-ce-4-lite-vs-poco-x6-which-phone-should-you-buy-under-25000/slidelist/111257892.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/oneplus-nord-ce-4-lite-vs-poco-x6-which-phone-should-you-buy-under-25000/slidelist/111257892.cms" target="_blank">OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite vs Poco X6 – which phone should you buy under ₹25,000?</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ipos-this-week-allied-blenders-and-vraj-iron-and-steel-look-to-raise-1671-crore/articleshow/111233159.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ipos-this-week-allied-blenders-and-vraj-iron-and-steel-look-to-raise-1671-crore/articleshow/111233159.cms" target="_blank">IPOs this week – Allied Blenders and Vraj Iron and Steel look to raise ₹1,671 crore</a>

Spectrum auction ends with bids worth ₹11,000 crore, Bharti Airtel emerges as the biggest bidder

New Delhi, Nov 27 () The spectrum proposed for auction is enough to launch 5G services in the country, the government said on Wednesday.
Industry body Broadband India Forum (BIF), however, has said that quantum of frequency proposed is insufficient to start the next generation mobile services, Ravi Shankar Prasad informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply.
The minister said that 275 megahertz of radiowaves frequency between 3,300-3,400 Mhz and 3,425 to 3,600 Mhz band is available for 5G auction.
"BIF have, in their representation to the Government, stated that the quantum of 5G spectrum that has been allocated for the upcoming 5G spectrum auction is not enough for a country of India's size and density. In DoT's view, the present available spectrum is enough to start the 5G services," Prasad said.
According to ITU, a 5G application in general should be able to transmit data with 10 gigabit per second speed and in some cases 20 Gigabit per second. 
Industry experts have said the lower data speed case requires around 320 Mhz of spectrum, while higher data speed needs around 670 Mhz.
The DoT has set a target to roll out 5G in 2020. Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson in its global study published early this week said that 5G connections are likely to be available in India from 2022.
The industry bodies and telecom operators individually have also pointed out that spectrum price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) for next round of auction is too high. However, Trai has kept the price in its recommendation unchanged.
"The value of unsold spectrum as on date as per valuation by Trai in its recommendations on Auction of Spectrum in 700 MHz, 800MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3400 MHz, 3400-3600MHz Bands dated August 1, 2018 is Rs 4.9 lakh crores," Prasad said. PRS BAL

Enough spectrum available to start 5G services: Prasad

The auction of <keyword id="764355" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G" source="Orion">5G</keyword> spectrum capable of offering ultra-high-speed internet received bids worth Rs 1,50,130 crore until Sunday amid pick-up in demand for radiowaves in the <keyword id="364870" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="up-east" source="Orion">UP East</keyword> circle, pushing the bidding to seventh day on Monday. Seven new rounds of bidding held on the sixth day of auction on Sunday 'dialled in' an incremental Rs 163 crore, propelling the cumulative spectrum sale beyond the Rs 1.50 lakh crore-mark. The auction has fetched provisional bids worth Rs 1,50,130 crore in the first six days, according to data released by the telecom department. Sources said that after a relative easing of demand on Saturday, the UP East circle - which includes Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur - saw bidding activity pick-up once again for 1800 MHz, a band primarily used by telcos for 4G services. UP East - which has over 10 crore mobile subscribers - accounted for all of the incremental spectrum sales on Sunday, amid a pitched battle for radiowaves among players such as <keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword> and <keyword id="6354287" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bharti-airtel" source="Orion">Bharti Airtel</keyword>. As on May, Reliance <keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword> had 3.29 mobile subscribers in UP East, Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword> (3.7 crore) and Vodafone Idea (2.02 crore). The bidding intensity for 1800 MHz band in Uttar Pradesh East circle had peaked between Wednesday and Friday, then subsided somewhat on Saturday. On Sunday, however, renewed interest was seen and demand flared once again outstripping the spectrum supply, sources said. All the three private operators are said to be keen on topping up their holdings in this band in UP East, as radiowaves in 900 MHz band are not available. All eyes will be on this circle when bidding resumes on Monday with 38th round, and the auction timelines would depend on how the bidding progresses through the day. Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said the 5G auction underscored that industry wants to expand, and had entered a growth phase. "The auction results are very good, close to Rs 1,49,966 crore has been committed by the industry for buying the spectrum," Vaishnaw had said at a briefing on Saturday. The reserve price fixed for spectrum is a "fair number" and the same is visible from the auction outcome, the minister had asserted. <keyword id="2628697" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="billionaire-mukesh-ambani" source="Orion">Billionaire Mukesh Ambani</keyword>'s Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and a unit of billionaire <keyword id="111343" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gautam-adani" source="Orion">Gautam Adani</keyword>'s flagship Adani Enterprises are in the race to bid for the 5G spectrum, which offers speeds about 10 times faster than 4G, lag-free connectivity and can enable billions of connected devices to share data in real-time. Besides powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), the Fifth Generation or 5G would enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, among others. Up until Friday, about 71 per cent of the total spectrum put on the block had been provisionally sold. After a flying start on Tuesday that saw players pouring in Rs 1.45 lakh crore on the first day, the numbers have inched up incrementally since Wednesday, with players such as Jio and Airtel locked in intense bidding in Uttar Pradesh East circle for 1800 MHz band. In all, 72 GHz (gigahertz) of radiowaves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore is on the block in the 2022 auction. The auction is being held for spectrum in various low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz), mid (3300 MHz) and high (26 GHz) frequency bands. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/hdfc-says-demand-for-home-loans-remains-strong-despite-higher-rates/articleshow/93213348.cms">HDFC says demand for home loans remains strong despite higher rates</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/meet-divya-gokulnath-ruchi-kalra-and-neha-bansal-the-richest-women-startup-entrepreneurs-in-india/slidelist/93213069.cms">Meet Divya Gokulnath, Ruchi Kalra and Neha Bansal — the richest women startup entrepreneurs in India</a>

5G spectrum bids cross the Rs 1.50 lakh mark as demand for UP East picks up

NEW DELHI: Amid the industry's concerns over less-than-expected price cuts, Trai chairman PD Vaghela on Tuesday asserted that the regulator's recommendations of a 39 per cent drop in <keyword id="804714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spectrum-prices" source="Orion">spectrum prices</keyword> are rational, attractive and backed by "scientific calculations". Vaghela told PTI that in view of the huge market potential of 5G, he is confident that the telecom industry will actively take part in the auction. The chairman expressed hope that the recommended reserve prices will attract bidders in the forthcoming auction. He also said that the ease of doing business, extensive stakeholder inputs, and facilitating the proliferation of 5G in the country have been the most important drivers for Trai's latest stance. Setting the stage for the rollout of 5G services, telecom regulator Trai on Monday recommended a mega auction plan valued at over Rs 7.5 lakh crore at the base price across multiple bands for radiowaves allocated over 30 years. Overall, the <keyword id="12394776" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="telecom-regulatory-authority-of" source="Orion">Telecom Regulatory Authority of</keyword> <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> (Trai) recommended about a 39 per cent reduction in the reserve or floor price for the sale of spectrum for mobile services, including the latest 5G offering, as it looked to match revenue expectations with the industry's paying capacity. Industry body COAI, however, has expressed deep disappointment over Trai's 5G recommendations, and termed the spectrum pricing suggested by the regulator as "too high". Given the recent reforms for the telecom sector announced by the government, these recommendations are "one step backwards than forward" towards building a digitally connected India, COAI claimed. COAI argued that the industry had recommended 90 per cent lower prices, and to see only about 35-40 per cent reduction recommended in prices "is deeply disappointing". Asked about the industry's views on less than expected price cuts, Vaghela in an interview said the regulator's recommendations of a 39 per cent drop in spectrum prices are backed by "scientific calculations". "Trai takes the business of calculation of valuation seriously, and on that basis, we have arrived at rational reserve prices. The prices we have given have been set at 70 per cent of valuation," he said. Taking off from the telecom department's reference seeking auction-related recommendations, Trai considered various aspects like ease of doing business, stakeholder inputs and most importantly, the proliferation of 5G and use cases in the country to ensure that economic benefits of technology are derived by all sections of society, he said. "If you see our recommendations on surrender fee, easy and flexible payment options, and leasing of spectrum for private networks, these are all aimed at ease of doing business and attracting investment into the telecom sector," Vaghela said. While auctions and network rollout are important considerations, "as a country, we need to facilitate penetration of 5G based technologies and use cases", Vaghela said. "A complete ecosystem needs to be created towards this objective," he said. "So, we have recommended action plans for vertical sectors, i.e., industry sectors and social sectors ...that they should be actively preparing plans for adopting 5G applications. Stakeholders like farmers, fishermen, students, MSMEs etc need to be further empowered to be part of the digital economy," Vaghela added. 5G technology once implemented should create demand for telecom products, thereby improving revenue streams for telecom service providers, and should also help consumers and the public at large to become a part of the mainstream digital economy, he noted. "India should reap the benefits of technologies and applications, which are based on 5G," the Trai chief said. On whether the industry has the paying capacity, given that over one lakh <keyword id="13265908" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="megahertz" source="Orion">megahertz</keyword> of spectrum worth over Rs 5 lakh crore at reserve price will be on the block (for 20-year allocation), Vaghela said, "With the attractive reserve prices recommended, flexible payment options offered, easy spectrum surrender conditions, recommendations on leasing etc., the forthcoming auction will surely be attractive for the investors". The Indian economy is growing, technology adoption is being ramped up by different vertical sectors and the market for telecom products is expanding at a rapid pace, he noted. "In view of the huge market potential of 5G, I am sure that the telecom industry will actively take part in the auction," he said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/xiaomis-manu-kumar-jain-has-been-reportedly-summoned-by-the-enforcement-directorate/articleshow/90803402.cms">Xiaomi’s Manu Kumar Jain has been reportedly summoned by the Enforcement Directorate</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/travel-tourism-and-hospitality-sector-is-witnessing-a-surge-in-manpower-demand-by-20-percent/slidelist/90799907.cms">Travel, tourism and hospitality sector is witnessing a surge in manpower demand by 20 percent</a>

Recommended spectrum prices are backed by scientific calculations, says Trai chief Vaghela

New Delhi, July 6 () Nokia on Monday said its software products are powering Bharti Airtel's Voice over LTE (VoLTE) network in India. As part of its 'cloudification strategy', Airtel will deploy Nokia's CloudBand Infrastructure Software. The network supports over 110 million customers, which makes it "the largest cloud-based VoLTE network in India and the largest Nokia-run VoLTE in the world," a statement by Nokia said. Airtel has deployed India's largest open cloud-based VoLTE network with Nokia software products, the statement said adding the cloud-based VoLTE deployment allows Airtel to provide its mobile customers faster and more reliable, cost-efficient call connectivity. The solution, which will cover all 22 telecom service areas in India, uses commercial 'Off-the-Shelf' IT hardware with cloud-based Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), consuming much less power and space compared to the traditional 2G/3G Circuit Switched legacy core, it said. The solution enables Airtel to free up spectrum by ramping down its 3G network, allowing the operator to use the freed up radiowaves to deploy 4G/LTE services for better speed and capacity. As part of its cloudification strategy, Airtel will also deploy Nokia's CloudBand Infrastructure Software with the aim to create new revenue opportunities for 5G and internet-connected devices, it said. CloudBand will enable Airtel to lay the foundation for 5G networks and deliver new digital services with greater agility and ensure a reliable and high-performing network for delivering improved customer experience. "CloudBand is an open, scalable, flexible platform that will allow Airtel to adapt network capacity in accordance with changing consumption patterns in real-time and in a cost-efficient manner," the statement added. Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, said, "The country's largest open cloud-based VoLTE network is a major milestone in Airtel's journey. Our objective is to reap the benefits of cloud solutions to simplify our architecture and enable faster delivery of innovative services, ultimately delivering an enhanced customer experience." Commenting on the development, Bhaskar Gorti, President of Nokia Software and Nokia Chief Digital Officer, said, "Nokia's carrier-grade cloud software solutions drive simplicity and flexibility and will further strengthen Airtel's solid 5G network foundation and transition to innovative digital solutions that are customer and experience centric." MBI ANU ANU

Airtel deploys cloud-based VoLTE network powered by Nokia software products

New Delhi, Feb 5 () Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it will not buy 5G spectrum in the upcoming auction if its base price is fixed at Rs 492 crore per megahertz as recommended by the telecom regulator Trai.The company has stressed balance sheet reeling under debt of Rs 1.14 lakh crore with liability to clear statutory dues of around 35,500 crore, following a Supreme Court order in October 2019 that upheld the government's stand on calculating levies over telecom licences.Bharti Airtel chief financial officer Badal Bagri during the earnings calls, however, said that the industry is now repairing itself with hike in mobile call and internet rates, which needs to rise further and it expects a favourable outcome in the adjusted gross revenue from the judiciary and regulator for long-term growth and viability of the sector."On the 3.5 Ghz band Trai has recommended price to Rs 50,000 crore for 100 mhz of spectrum. 5G requires a large block of spectrum. 100 Mhz spectrum for 50,000 crore, we can't afford. We believe it is too high. We will not pick it up at those prices," Bharti Airtel MD and CEO for India and South Asia Gopal Vittal said.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has recommended that proposed base price of proposed 5G spectrum in 3,300-3,600 Mhz band at about Rs 492 crore per Mhz unpaired spectrum on pan India basis.Telecom operators interested in buying radiowaves for 5G will have to shell out a minimum of Rs 9,840 crore on pan-India basis to buy spectrum in 3,300-3,600 Mhz band as Trai has suggested that it "should be put to auction in the block size of 20 MHz".The Digital Communications Commission, apex decision making body at the Department of Telecom, has approved the suggestions made by Trai.Vittal said that though telecom players raised mobile call and internet rates in December, the tariff needs to go up further for better return on investments."We have ARPU of Rs 135. In the end state, I think we need to see ARPU of Rs 300 in Indian telecom. I think that is when we will turn a reasonable return of capital on the overall business," Vittal said.He said that with the last round of tariff hike, the ARPU of the company will go up, but it may not be enough to give return on the investments."While our ARPU will go up in next quarter because of tariff increases, they are just not good enough. At Rs 200, we will barely be head above water in terms of return on capital. It is clearly something that we need to see moving. I cannot comment on what the timing is," Vittal said.Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea raised their services rates by up to 50 per cent in December and their rival Reliance Jio too increased tariff by about 40 per cent.The companies cited the burden of AGR dues on their books following the Supreme Court judgement dated October 24, 2019 as one of the compelling reasons to enhance tariff.Bharti Airtel's liabilities added up to nearly Rs 35,586 crore, including licence fee and spectrum usage charge dues.It may be recalled that for September quarter, Airtel had posted a staggering Rs 23,045 crore net loss, after provisioning of Rs 28,450 crore on account of the Supreme Court ruling on past dues.Bharti Airtel has posted a consolidated loss of Rs 1,035 crore for the three months ended December 31, 2019 with apex court ruling adding to the financial woes of the company.The company had to clear dues by January 23 but it has sought time from the DoT to wait till the outcome of its modification plea filed before the apex court seeking relaxation on timeline to clear dues."We are hopeful that we will get favourable outcome from the engagement with judiciary and regulator that will ensure long term growth and viability of the sector," Bagri said.During the October-December 2019, Bharti Airtel said that it has posted the highest ever addition of 4G customers and attributed the growth to its rival operator move to charge 6 paise per minute for every outgoing call outside the network.While overall mobile customer base of Bharti Airtel grew by 1.3 per cent to 28.3 crore on quarter on quarter basis, its 4G customer base grew by 20.1 per cent to 12.3 crore on sequential quarter basis.For just ended December quarter, Airtel's consolidated revenues came in at Rs 21,947 crore, up 8.5 per cent over the same period previous year. The India revenues for reported quarter stood at Rs 15,797 crore, 7 per cent higher over same period previous year, while Africa revenues were up 14.2 per cent. PRS BAL

Bharti Airtel will not bid for 5G spectrum at Trai recommended price: Vittal

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/40988790.cms" /> Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) has inked a deal with state-owned telecom company <keyword id="57998" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Sanchar-Nigam-Limited">Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited</keyword> (BSNL) for leasing around 4,000 mobile towers. 
 
According to the signed agreement, BSNL will be providing a base rate of Rs 38,000 per month for ground-based towers (GBT) and the base rate for rooftop-based towers will be Rs 24,900 per month. If Reliance Jio will comit the leasing of at least 1,500 mobile towers, telecom firm BSNL will offer discounted rates. 
 
Anupam Shrivastava, BSNL director (consumer mobility), said,"The rent for ground towers will be Rs 35,000 per month and Rs 21,000 per month for rooftop towers if Reliance Jio commits leasing of 1,500 towers in first year." 
 
As per Shrivastava, there is also a provision of 5% discount if RJIL commits leasing of at least 1,000 towers within three months. 
 
However, RJIL has not yet given any response on the deal. Reliance Jio holds pan-India broadband wireless access spectrum that can be used for 4G service. Also, RJIL won radiowaves in the 1800 Mhz band, widely known as 2G spectrum. Currently, this is also being used for 4G services across the globe. 
 
It is important to note that RJIL is the first telecom operator in the country to get a unified licence for all 22 service areas in India. This licence will allow Reliance Jio to provide all telecom services, which also includes voice telephony. 
(Image: Wikipedia)

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