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“The investors are looking very comfortable with the industry right now. Most of the risks, which were present, have been solved,\" Vaishnaw told reporters after the conclusion of the 5G spectrum auction<\/a>.
He added that the level of employment, thanks to 5G, will cross 100 million over the next 2 to 3 years. “We expect it to create significant indirect employment as well,” the minister said.
The government has sold 71% of the total spectrum put up for sale in India’s first ever 5G spectrum auction. Of the total 72.098 GHz of airwaves on the block, 51.236 GHz were picked up among the four bidders. The total money raised from the auction was Rs 1,50,173 crore.
“Everybody was expecting it to be in the Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh crore range. So, this is definitely surprising,” the minister said. He added the telecom department will nudge the telcos to improve services.
“With better availability of spectrum, quality of service will be improved. We are in discussions with operators. With policy<\/a> issues resolved now, telcos should focus on quality of service,” he said.
When asked about mobile phone tariffs in the 5G era, Vaishnaw added that they will remain affordable.
“As per the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) affordability index, we are among the most affordable telecom services with the highest affordability. I think that trend will continue.”
Jio led the spectrum acquisition exercise with a total of 24,740 MHz of airwaves across 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3300 MHZ, and 26 GHz bands. It is the only telco to have picked up spectrum in the expensive 700 MHz band. This is also the first time since frequency in this band was put on the block that it has seen any takers.
“The 5G ecosystem using 700 MHz is well developed globally. It has a large range that gives you a good base coverage. It is possible to cover the entire country with 5G using 700 MHz bands,” Vaishnaw explained. He added that it also requires less infrastructure, so one tower can cover more areas, compared to mmWave (26 GHz) and mid-band (3300 MHz).
Bharti Airtel<\/a> picked up 19,867 MHz of spectrum across 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands while Vodafone Idea<\/a> bought 6.228 GHz of airwaves across 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands.
New entrant Adani acquired 400 MHz in the 26 GHz band.
Vaishnaw said that most of the operators will use the 3300 MHz (or C-band) frequency to upgrade to 5G, and then provide higher capacity in the mid-band as a top-up. “We understand that the spectrum purchased is good enough for covering all the circles across the country. It's a very healthy sign, and we hope there will be good 5G coverage in the entire country,” he said.