Airtel acquires spectrum worth ₹18,699 crore in 4G auction

Bharti Airtel Ltd has acquired 355.45MHz of spectrum worth ₹18,699 crore in the auction for 4G wireless service, the company said in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday.

India’s second largest telecom operator by market share bid for sub-gigahertz, or sub-GHz, spectrum across India to improve its 4G coverage indoors and in rural areas. The band will enable the telco to add 90 million customers, Airtel said. The company also acquired radio airwaves in the mid-range, starting from 1GHz, and 2,300MHz band.

“Airtel has now secured pan India foot print of sub-GHz spectrum that will help improve its deep indoor and in building coverage in every urban town. In addition, this precious spectrum will also help improve its coverage in villages by offering Airtel experience to an additional 90 million customers in India,” it said.