‘In 30 years, this is a first,’ Airtel’s Sunil Mittal on 5G allocation process | Mint – Mint

“In my over 30 years of first-hand experience with Department of Telecom, this is a first ! Business as it should be. Leadership at work-Right at the top and at the helm of telecom. What a Change ! Change that can transform this nation – power its dreams to be a developed nation.”

Day before, on Wednesday, Telecom operator Bharti Airtel had paid ₹8,312.4 crores to the Department of Telecom upfront towards dues for spectrum acquired in the recently concluded 5G auctions. Later, within hours allocation letter for the designated frequency bands was handed over.

“This upfront payment of 4 years allows us to drive 5G rollout in a concerted manner given our operating free cash flow. Airtel also has access to ₹15,740.5 crore in capital from the rights issue which is yet to be called. With the ideal spectrum bank, best technology and adequate free cash flow, we are excited to bring to the country a world class 5G experience,” said Gopal Vittal MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel Ltd.

Airtel is all set to roll out 5G services later this month and paid dues for 4 years ahead of schedule.

Earlier today, the government said it has issued spectrum allocation letters to telecom service providers while asking them to prepare for the rollout of 5G services. “5G update: Spectrum assignment letter issued. Requesting TSPs to prepare for 5G launch,” Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on the Koo platform.

With this spectrum allotment, India is in the final stage of rolling out high-speed 5G telecom services.

The DoT has received payment of around ₹17,876 crore from service providers — Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks and Vodafone Idea for spectrum they won in a recent auction.

The country’s biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum received a record ₹1.5 lakh crore worth of bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio cornering nearly half of all the airwaves sold with a ₹87,946.93 crore bid.

Bharti Enterprises founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said that his company Bharti Airtel received a spectrum allocation letter within a few hours of making upfront payment to the DoT.

Also Read: Mint Explainer: How the 5G battle for bands plays out

What is 5G, and how is it different from the current 3G and 4G services?

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network capable of transmitting a large set of data at a very rapid speed. In comparison to 3G and 4G, 5G has a very low latency which will enhance user experiences in various sectors. Low latency describes the efficiency to process a very high volume of data messages with a minimal delay. 5G services are expected to be about 10 times faster than 4G.

The 5G rollout is also expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing, among others. Department of Telecom received total bids worth ₹1.50 lakh crore from the recently concluded auction.- Revenue from the auctions was initially estimated to be ₹80,000-90,000 crore.