5G spectrum: Jio tops with Rs 14,000 crore deposit

NEW DELHI: The stage is set for 5G auctions, with companies making the mandated earnest money deposits (EMD) totalling Rs 21,800 crore. Though talks around the much-anticipated Ambani Adani confrontation fizzled out with newcomer Gautam Adani-led group refusing to make heavy commitments towards the airwave sale.
While Jio, the country’s biggest mobile operator, submitted an EMD of Rs 14,000 crore, the Adani Group — represented by Adani Data Networks (ADN) — committed just Rs 100 crore. This indicates that it may go for limited bandwidth capacity in few circles where it sees potential for captive enterprise telephony. Any big expansion move is likely to be unveiled after the auctions.
Bharti Airtel, the second largest operator, submitted an EMD of Rs 5,500 crore, while Vodafone Idea deposited Rs 2,200 crore.