On July 26, 2022, India started its biggest-ever spectrum auction, involving telephone and internet data signals. Under the spectrum process, 72 GHz (gigahertz) of 5G airwaves have been put on offer at the cost of Rs 4.3 lakh crore.
Significance of the 5G spectrum include:
- Fifth generation or 5G spectrum offers ultra-high speeds, which is 10 times more than the speed of 4G.
- It will also provide lag-free connectivity.
- It would finally enable connected devices to share data in real-time.
- 5G spectrum also powers the ultra-low latency connections, allowing the download of full-length high-quality movie or video on a mobile device in few seconds.
- It will also enable solutions like e-health, life-saving use cases, connected vehicles, advanced mobile cloud gaming and immersive augmented reality & metaverse experiences.
Bidding process has started in which,
- Reliance Jio, Bharati Airtel, Adani Enterprises and Vodafone Idea are ready to bid for 5G spectrum.
- Auction is being held for spectrum in three bands:
- Low Frequency Band: 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz
- Mid Frequency Band: 3300 MHz
- High Frequency Band: 26 GHz
- Bidding started on July 26 and will continue for the next day as well, if there is a demand for spectrum and bidders are ready to put in bids.
The 5G spectrum is likely to be rolled out by September 2022. Initially, 5G spectrum would be rolled out in phases and will stay limited to metros and larger cities, because just 7% of overall smartphone base in India, is 5G-enabled.