Airtel, Vodafone Idea may have limited participation in 5G spectrum auction

MUMBAI: India’s reserve price of USD 70 million per MHz is “expensive”, and will force Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel to participate in 5G spectrum auctions in a “limited” way, global rating agency Fitch said on Monday.

The comments come weeks after nearly all the telcos had expressed their concerns on the spectrum pricing.

“The Telecom Regulatory Authority of Indias (TRAI) 5G spectrum price for spectrum band of 3300-3600MHz of USD 70 million per MHz is expensive compared with 3G and 4G spectrum auctions in the past,” the agency said in a note.