This week, carriers in India spent $19 billion on the 5G spectrum auction. Later this month, Airtel will start rolling out 5G across the country. Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung have partnered with the carrier to assist with the rollout and infrastructure.
For sub-6GHz 5G and mmWave, the company spent $5.45 billion on spectrum acquisition in the 900MHz, 1,800MHz, 2,100MHz, and 3,300MHz bands. Its main spectrum bands are 3,300MHz and 26GHz. Spectrum rights for 19.8GHz have been secured for 20 years by the company.
The 5G rollout will begin in key cities, but no timeline has been announced. It will be the first time users in the country can experience 5G connectivity on their smartphones. Smartphone makers have been selling 5G capable phones for a while now.
Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea also purchased 5G spectrum for $11.2 billion and $2.4 billion, respectively. Adani Group also bought a small amount of spectrum. Their next-generation networks are in the works.
