“Airtel has now secured the pan-Indian footprint of the sub GHz spectrum that will help improve its deep indoor and building coverage in every urban city. In addition, this valuable spectrum will also help improve its coverage in villages by delivering the Airtel experience to over 90 million additional customers in India, ”the telecommunications company said in a statement.
The company purchased 48.85 MHz spectrum from the sub-GHz bands in the 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands for Rs 9,457 crore, 86.6 MHz of the middle spectrum in the 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands for Rs 6,172 crore and 220 MHz of capacity spectrum in the 2300 MHz band for Rs3,070 crore, Airtel said.
Its shares rose 0.5% to Rs535 on BSE in afternoon trading.
Through this auction, Airtel has also significantly strengthened its holdings in mid-band and capacity spectrum, which will help it deliver exceptional customer experiences at marginal investments. “The entire spectrum will allow Airtel to provide 5G services in the future.”
“At the outset, we would like to thank the government for making an abundant spectrum available for auction. Airtel now has a strong spectrum portfolio that will allow it to continue to deliver the best mobile broadband experience in India, ”said Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel in the statement.
The company added that despite the large amount of spectrum made available, the bands in the 700 MHz band had not received any offers from the operators as it presented no economic justification to them due to the high reserve prices.
“The 700 MHz band coupled with the 3.5 GHz band has the potential to accelerate India’s progression to the premier league of nations with digital technology. Therefore, the reserve price of these wafers should be treated as a priority in the future. This will help the country to reap the digital dividend that will inevitably result, ”the operator said.