Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said that it has acquired 355.45 mhz spectrum across Sub ghz, mid-band and 2,300 mhz bands for Rs 18,699 crore in the latest spectrum auction conducted by the government. 

“This gives Airtel the most formidable spectrum holdings in the country. Airtel has now secured pan-India footprint of Sub ghz spectrum that will help improve its deep-indoor and in-building coverage in every urban town,” the company said.  

Airtel added the spectrum acquired through the latest auction will also help improve its coverage in villages by offering superior experience to an additional 9 crore customers in India. 

Through this auction, Airtel has also decisively strengthened its mid-band and capacity spectrum holdings that will help it provide an exceptional customer experience at marginal capex. All of the spectrum will enable Airtel to deliver 5G services in future. The company added that despite the large amount of spectrum made available, the 700 mhz band did not get any bid from the operators as it made no economic case for them based on the high reserve prices. 

The 700 mhz band, coupled with the 3.5 ghz band, has the potential to accelerate India’s progress to the top league of digitally-enabled nations. Therefore, the reserve pricing of these bands must be addressed on priority in future. This will help the nation to benefit from the digital dividend that will inevitably arise out of this, Airtel added.

The government revealed that the spectrum auction attracted Rs 77,146 crore worth of bids on the opening day on Monday with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea putting in bids. Over 2,250 mhz of spectrum that carry telecom signals in seven bands worth nearly Rs 4,00,000 crore at reserve or start price, has been offered for bidding in the auction.