5G auctions that concluded on 1 August provided spectrum to telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks, Bharti Airtel and, Vodafone Idea.
"In respect of demand note... on account of August 16, 2022 being bank holiday in Mumbai and Maharashtra, the competent authority has decided to revise the due date of payment from August 16, 2022 to August 17, 2022," the DoT said in a note dated August 10.
5G auctions, considered as the country's biggest ever telecom spectrum auction receiver bids of whopping ₹1.5 lakh crore.
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio took the major chunk of the spectrum by cornering the airwaves worth Rs. 87,946 crores.
The fourth richest man in the world, Gautam Adani also made his last-minute entry to the group of bidders. His group placed bids worth ₹211.86 crore which they plan to mainly use to data services and digital computing. Adani Group doesn't plan to enter telecom services for now.
Sunil Bharti Mittal's Bharti Airtel made a successful bid of ₹43,039.63 crore while Vodafone Idea Ltd bought spectrum for ₹18,786.25 crore.
The telecom operators can choose to pay the whole together or in equal installments in 20 years. In case they choose to pay in installments, then the government is expected to receive ₹13,412.58 crore on due date.
Jio will pay the largest chunk of ₹7,864.78 crore, followed by ₹3,848.88 crore, which will be paid by Bharti Airtel. Vodafone Idea will be paying ₹1,679.98 crore and the amount is ₹18.94 crore for Adani Data Networks.
Reliance Jio acquired the coveted 700 MHz spectrum which can provide a signal range of around 6 to 10 kilometers. It forms a good base for 5G services in all zones of the country. Currently, there are 22 circles or zones in India.
The Adani Group purchased spectrum in the 26 GHz band, which is suitable for establishing a private network for end-to-end communication, in six states: Gujarat, Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh.
Bharti Airtel purchased a total of 19,867.8 MHz in five bands, but none in 700 MHz. Vodafone Idea has acquired 6228 MHz of spectrum.
