Indian 2015 spectrum auction announced, 2100MHz band makes debut

The Indian Department of Telecommunications has confirmed proceedings for the next spectrum auction, due to be selling off spectrum in the 2100, 1800, 900 and 800MHz bands.

In an official announcement made over the weekend, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has opened applications for auction participants, with the start of the auction taking place on the 25^th February.

The department also announced that all successful bids must be at least partially paid for within 10 calendar days of the auction closing date, saying: “Full upfront payment, or in case of deferred payment option, upfront payment of 33% of the final bid amount in case of 1800 MHz band and 25% of final bid amount in case of 900/800 MHz bands.”

In last year’s nationwide spectrum auction, Vodafone India picked up 245 blocks of 1800MHz spectrum, as well as 23 blocks of 900MHz. Bharti Airtel, Aircel, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Reliance JIO Infocomm and Telewings were also among the winners. 1536 blocks of 1800MHz and 46 blocks of 900 MHz were allocated.

The introduction of 2100MHz spectrum for 2015’s auction could represent the growth of India’s LTE market, with availability of a higher frequency spectrum band for the first time. The specific details regarding 2100MHz availability will be announced at a later date, according to the DoT’s official announcement.