Spectrum auction likely early next year; will not bid for 5G spectrum if reserve price is high: Bharti Airtel

NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunications might conduct spectrum auction between January and March next year but Bharti Airtel will refrain from bidding for 5G spectrum if the reserve price is high, a top official of the telecom company said on Wednesday. Bharti Airtel India and South Asia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Gopal Vittal said the company is working on a spectrum auction strategy and may look for some radiowaves frequencies below 1,000 Megahertz (Mhz) frequencies to improve network inside buildings and in rural areas.