5G Auction Day 1 Updates; Jio, Airtel, Vi, Spent Rs. 1.45 Lakh Crore For 5G Airwaves

As India plans to rollout the 5th-generation of mobile networks -- 5G in the country, the auctions for the spectrum kicked off yesterday. Participants bid for the 72GHz airwaves to launch their 5G services in the country. Four Indian telecom players took part in the auction, including Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vi, and Adani. They spent Rs. 1.45 lakh crore in the largest ever auction in history.

Jio, Airtel, Vi, Adani Spent Rs. 1.45 Lakh Crore In First Round

The response to the auction on the first day exceeded all expectations. Jio, Airtel, Vi, and Adani spent Rs. 1.45 lakh crore for the 5G spectrum, which exceeded 2015's auction's collection of Rs. 1.09 lakh crore. Reliance Jio spent the highest amount of Rs. 14,000 crores in the first round of the auction. Bharti Airtel submitted Rs. 5,500 crores of the earnest money deposit of the 5G auction.

Vodafone India aka Vi's contribution in the auction was Rs. 2,200 crores. The newcomer telco Adani Group spent the lowest amount of Rs. 100 crores. There were a total of four rounds of bidding on the first day of the auction. The fifth round of the auction will begin today.

5G Radiowaves Worth Rs. 4.3 Lakh Crore Available In Auction

The telecom department of India is offering a total of 72GHz of 5G radiowaves in the auction, which are worth Rs. 4.3 lakh crore. The auction is being held for various frequency bands including 600MHz, 700MHz, 800MHz, 900MHz, 1,800MHz, 2,100MHz, and 26GHz, which is the highest frequency. The auction is expected to conclude in today's fifth round.

5G Rollout In India Expected By Year End

The commercial rollout of the high-speed 5G services in India is expected to commence either by the end of this year or by early 2023. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has already announced that its network is 5G ready and the services will be available to the public within two or three months after the spectrum auction takes place. Reliance Jio is also expected to be among the first telcos to offer 5G services on a commercial scale.

As for the cities that will be getting the 5G services first, the union minister has already confirmed that 13 cities will be getting the network first. These cities include Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Gurugram, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Kolkata, and Lucknow. Airtel will also offer its services initially in these cities. We will know more soon.

How 5G In India Will Change Mobile User's Lives?

The upcoming 5G telecom services will change mobile users' lives significantly. It will be enabling a smarter and more connected world. In the early stages of 5G services, the users will be getting much improved mobile broadband access than the 4G networks. This will certainly help the problems of low fixed broadband penetration in the country, which also improve the data experience of the consumers on the go.

The 5G network services will be allowing the consumers to view at least 4K quality videos on their smartphones without buffering. They will be able to use the next-level AR and VR devices, mobile apps, and other immersive internet experiences. That's only the tip of the iceberg and we will be getting more information in the coming months.