Airtel bags spectrum worth Rs 18,699 crore in 4G auction

Bharti Airtel Ltd has obtained 355.45MHz of spectrum worth Rs 18,699 crore in the auction for 4G wireless service, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday.

India’s second largest telecom company by market share bid for sub-gigahertz, or sub-GHz, spectrum across India to enhance its 4G coverage indoors and in rural areas. The band will allow the telco to get 90 million customers, Airtel said. The company also needs radio airwaves in the mid-range, starting from 1GHz, and 2,300MHz band.

“Airtel has now secured pan India foot print of sub-GHz spectrum that will help improve its deep indoor and in building coverage in every urban town. In addition, this precious spectrum will also help improve its coverage in villages by offering the superior Airtel experience to an additional 90 million customers in India,” it said.

Through this auction, Airtel has also fortified its mid-band and capacity spectrum holdings that will help it boost service quality “at marginal capex”, the company said. The spectrum purchased in this auction will support 5G services in the future.