This Is How Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea Can Counter Reliance Jio

By Prajith
|

Reliance Jio showed off its 4G services on September 1, 2016, and ever since its inception it has made other telecom operators in India to sit up and pay attention.

This Is How Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea Can Counter Reliance Jio

It's 'Welcome Offer' urged all the major telecom operators like Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea to slash their tariff plans by up to 50%, which one way or the other is an added advantage for us, the end users.

Also See: Reliance Jio vs Airtel: Free 4G Data With Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Offers Compared

Additionally, a few telcos came up with interesting offers like free 4G data and unlimited access to their premium content for a limited time period to stay in the league.

In an attempt to compete against the likes of Reliance Jio major telcos like Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea have purchased large amounts of airwaves at the Spectrum auction which ended on Thursday this month.

Also See: How to Get Free UNLIMITED 3G Data on Tata Docomo Using Android Smartphone

Here's how much of spectrum footprint each of the aforementioned telcos has purchased.

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Airtel purchased 173.8MHz of spectrum

Airtel purchased 173.8MHz of spectrum

One of the India's largest telecom operators, Bharti Airtel has acquired 173.8MHz of spectrum across the 1,800/2,100/2,300MHz bands to strengthen its pan-India spectrum portfolio. In a statement, the company said it committed a whopping Rs. 14,244 crore to achieve this.

Idea acquired 349.20MHz of spectrum

Idea acquired 349.20MHz of spectrum

Idea, with a 349.20MHz of spectrum footprint, has also procured a substantial amount of airwaves to strengthen its spectrum portfolio. The company committed Rs. 12,798 crore for this to happen.

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Vodafone increased its 4G coverage to 17 circles by purchasing 283MHz  of bandwidth

Vodafone increased its 4G coverage to 17 circles by purchasing 283MHz of bandwidth

Earlier Vodafone had only 9 circles with 4G coverage. However, at the spectrum auction, it managed to increase the number by 8 which translates to a total of 17 spectrums for 4G coverage. It had to commit around Rs. 20,280 crores to purchase 283MHz of bandwidth.

 Reliance Jio purchased 269.2MHz of bandwidth across 22 circles

Reliance Jio purchased 269.2MHz of bandwidth across 22 circles

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio acquired 269.2MHz of bandwidth across the 800/1800/2300MHz bands across all its 22 circles in the country. It committed Rs. 13,672 to acquire the airwaves.

Why this could be a threat to Reliance Jio

Why this could be a threat to Reliance Jio

It is evident from the above information that major telcos like Airtel, Idea, and Vodafone are strengthening their spectrum portfolio to defeat Reliance Jio. Bank of America Merrill Lynch said that "the top three telcos (Airtel, Idea, And Vodafone) now have adequate 4G spectrum to counter Mukesh Ambani-run Jio." But, according to the analysts, the cost of defeating Reliance Jio could be debilitating and could affect their financials in the future.

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