The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sent payment notices to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Reliance Jio, asking them to pay for the 5G spectrum they bought in the recent auction. The deadline for these payments is July 26.
Payment Options:
- Pay in 20 equal yearly installments.
- Pay the entire amount upfront.
- Make a partial upfront payment (minimum of two years’ worth).
Spectrum Purchases:
- Bharti Airtel: 97 MHz worth ₹6,856.76 crore.
- Vodafone Idea (Vi): 30 MHz worth ₹3,510.40 crore.
- Reliance Jio: 5G airwaves worth ₹973.62 crore.
First Installment Amounts:
- Airtel: ₹674.17 crore.
- Vi: ₹345.15 crore.
- Jio: ₹95.72 crore.
The telecom companies will decide whether to pay upfront or in installments soon. Industry experts believe they will likely choose the installment option due to similar interest rates between market loans and the DoT’s deferred payment plan.
The government collected ₹11,340.78 crore from this 5G auction, which saw low bidding activity. This was significantly less than the ₹1.5 lakh crore from the first 5G auction two years ago. This time, the telcos did not bid on key 5G bands as they already have enough spectrum from the previous auction.
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