Airtel, Jio, And Vi Spectrum Holding: Which Telecom Operator Has More Activity In 22 Circles

Spectrum auction, which took place this year, has changed the entire spectrum holding of Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea. Besides, Reliance Jio signed a spectrum trading deal with India's second-largest telecom operator Airtel.

The spectrum trading will allow Jio to expand its reach in Delhi, Mumbai, and Andhra Pradesh. This has changed the entire spectrum portfolio of telecom and surprisingly, Airtel is the only telecom operator who is holding the largest spectrum in the country.

"The sale of the 800 MHz blocks in these three circles has enabled us to unlock value from the spectrum that was un-utilized. This is aligned to our overall network strategy," said Gopal Vittal, Bharti Airtel's managing director, and chief executive officer for India and South Asia.

Airtel Is Leading In Spectrum Holding

Notably, Airtel has a 2092.1 MHz spectrum, while Vodafone-Idea has 1768.4 MHz airwaves, and India's leading telecom operator has only a 1732 MHz band. This means Reliance Jio's holdings are quite less than the other two operators. However, Jio has the Sub GHz and TDD spectrum band and lacking in the mid-band airwaves, reports OnlyTech.

In addition, Airtel is leading in 14 out of 22 telecom circles, which means it has the highest spectrum holding in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, North East, UP East, UP West, West Bengal, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Bihar.

India's third-largest telecom operator has the highest holding in seven circles, such as Goa, Mumbai, Haryana, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. On the other hand, Reliance Jio is leading in the Delhi and NCR circles.

Reliance Jio, Vi, And Airtel Less Presence Spectrum Holding

The telecom operator has also less presence in 10 circles, i.e Maharashtra Goa, North East, Rajasthan, UP East, UP West, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Similarly, Vodafone-Idea has fewer airwaves holding in Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, and NCR. Airtel is providing the lowest spectrum in only three circles, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kerala.

It is worth noting that Reliance Jio is deploying additional spectrum in some of its circles as the demand for data has been increased due to COVID-19.