Telcos’ 5G bids seen muted as private firms jostle for airwaves: Report

India’s telecom giants are likely to make muted bids at the 5G spectrum auction in July, on worries they stand to lose about 40% in potential revenues due to the allotment of some airwaves to enterprises for private networks, industry sources said.

Top player Reliance Industries’ Jio and rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have failed to lobby New Delhi to stop the allocation that will let various enterprises, including Amazon.com and Tata Consultancy Services, to get airwaves without auction.

“The telecom companies are quite upset, there will be an estimated 40% potential 5G revenue loss,” said S.P. Kochhar, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India, which represents the three telcos.