Reliance Jio acquires 5G spectrum worth ₹88,078 Crores during 5G Spectrum Auctions 2022

Reliance Jio, India’s largest telco has today acquired 5G spectrum worth ₹88,078 Crores during 5G Spectrum Auctions 2022 and emerged as the highest bidder in the auctions. Jio took several bands which include – 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 3,300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands in the auctions conducted by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India. The acquisition of the right to use this spectrum will enable Jio to build a superior and advanced 5G network and further strengthen its network in wireless broadband connectivity. The table below explains the circle-wise spectrum acquisition by Jio.

Shri Akash M Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm said, “We have always believed that India will become a leading economic power in the world by adopting the power of breakthrough technologies. This was the vision and conviction that gave birth to Jio. The speed, scale and societal impact of Jio’s 4G rollout is unmatched anywhere in the world. Now, with a bigger ambition and stronger resolve, Jio is set to lead India’s march into the 5G era.”

“We will celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with a pan India 5G rollout. Jio is committed to offering world-class, affordable 5G and 5G-enabled services. We will provide services, platforms and solutions that will accelerate India’s digital revolution, especially in crucial sectors like Education, Healthcare, Agriculture, Manufacturing and e-Governance and
make another proud contribution to Honourable Prime Minister’s DIGITAL INDIA MISSION.”

The total cost of acquiring the right to use the spectrum for a period of 20 years is ₹88,078 crores. As per terms of the spectrum auction, the spectrum payments have to be made over 20 equated annual installments with interest computed at 7.2% per annum. Here’s the annual payment amount summarised below.

Jio is fully ready for 5G rollout in the shortest period of time because of its nationwide fibre presence, all-IP network with no legacy infrastructure, indigenous 5G stack, and strong global partnerships across the technology ecosystem.

Post the 5G spectrum auctions, Jio has now acquired a unique combination of low-band, mid-band, and mmWave spectrum, when paired with its fibre network and indigenous technology platforms, it enables Jio to provide 5G Everywhere and 5G For All (consumers and enterprises).

Jio has the highest sub-GHz contiguous spectrum holding in both the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands in each of the 22 circles. Also, Jio is currently the only telco in India that has at least 2 x 10 MHz in the 1,800 MHz band (with 2 x 20 MHz in six key circles), 40 MHz in the 2,300 MHz band, and 100 MHz in the 3,300 MHz band all across 22 circles.

In the mmWave frequency band, Jio has the right to use 1,000 MHz in the millimetre wave band (26 GHz) in each of the 22 circles, essential for Jio to enable enterprise use cases as well as provide high-quality streaming services.