Spectrum Auction: Idea Cellular to shell out maximum Rs 30,360 crore

NEW DELHI: Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said that Idea Cellular, country’s third largest telecom operator, will have to pay Rs 30,360 crore for the spectrum auction, followed by Bharti Airtel at Rs 29,310 crore and Vodafone at Rs 25,959 crore.

Reliance Jio, TTSL, Reliance Communications, Aircel will have to pay Rs 10,080 crore, Rs 7,851 crore, Rs 4,299 crore and Rs 2,250 crore, respectively, he said in a press briefing here.

Uninor didn't get any spectrum.

Of the Rs 1,09,874.91 crore, raked in over 19 days with 115 rounds of bidding, received in the spectrum auctions, the government will get Rs 28,872.7 crore within 10 days. The bidders will pay a quarter to a third of the winning price within 10 days, and the rest in 10 annual installments beginning 2017.

Ideal Cellular, the highest winning bidder, bid a maximum of Rs 30,306.98 crore to buy spectrum in the 900 megahertz, 1800 MHz and 2,100 MHz bands. Airtel bid Rs 29,130.20 crore in the same bands, followed by Vodafone.

Reliance Jio bid for radiowaves in 800 MHz and 1800 MHz for Rs 10,077.53 crore. Reliance Communication also bid in the same bands, taking the total spectrum worth Rs 4,299.13 crore.

Tata Teleservices bought Rs 7,851.33 crore of spectrum in 800 MHz and 1800 MHz. Aircel will pay Rs 2,250 crore to buy spectrum in 1800 MHz band.

"Even in terms of the quantum of spectrum sold, I'm happy to say, it was the highest in 2015," Prasad said. He also said that this is the biggest ever spectrum auction by the government and it surpassed the previous record of Rs 106,200 crore that the government received in the 2010 auction.

Sixty-nine service areas at a total reserve price of Rs.80,277 crore were on offer, and the provisional allocation was announced for 63 of them at a winning price of Rs 109,874.91 crore. In 50 service areas, the winning bids went at a premium.