Author: Priyanka Dua

The competition in the telecom sector is all set to increase again as Adani Group is planning to launch its services. In fact, the Department of Telecom has said that Adani Data Networks, Vodafone-Idea, Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Jio have shown their interest in the upcoming 5G spectrum auction.

“Applications have been received from the…applicants for participation in the 2022 Auction for rights to use Spectrum in 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz Bands,” the Department of Telecom (DoT) said.

Notably, DoT is selling spectrum in 10 bands, such as 26 GHz bands, 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, and 3300 MHz.

For the unaware, the spectrum auction is scheduled for July 26th and is expected to see fierce competition for a few frequency bands as existing telecom operators will start expanding or strengthening their position.

Adani Group In Telecom Sector

This development was confirmed by the Adani Group and said that it has already applied to the 5G spectrum auction. The company also issued a statement and said, “As India prepares to roll out next-generation of 5G services through this auction, we are one of the many applications participating in the open bidding process,” reads Adani Group statement.

“We are participating in the 5G spectrum auction to provide private network solutions along with enhanced cyber security in the airport, ports & logistics, power generation, transmission, distribution, and various manufacturing operations,” the statement added. This clearly means that Adani Group has no intentions to launch its telecom services in the country.

Adani Group: Competition Might be Increased In Telecom Sector

On the other hand, several brokerage firms and analysts believe that Adani Group is likely to increase competition in the auction, which was expected to receive a dull response.

“We consider this news flow negative for incumbent telcos as it increases competition in upcoming auction bidding as well as in the long-term opportunity to target the enterprise space,” BofA Securities in a note.

“However, with Adani group ruling out offering consumer mobility services, we believe that its participation in 5G spectrum auctions will be limited to 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands for provision of private enterprise 5G network services,” said Credit Suisse.

Spectrum Bands And Availability

It is worth noting that the Government is expected to receive 4.5 lakh crore via spectrum auction. Moreover, it is expected that the rollout of the services will start in August or September.

In addition, the services are likely to be available first in 13 cities, including Chennai, Gandhinagar, Pune, Gurugram, Delhi, Jamnagar, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. However, this number is likely to be increased to 20 to 25 cities by the end of 2022 as per DoT.

In order to give more benefits to users, Airtel revised Rs. 265 prepaid plan. This plan used to offer 1GB of data for 28 days and now, customers will get benefits for 30 days. This development comes after the telecom operator launched four new packs for its customers of Rs. 109, Rs. 111, Rs. 128, and Rs. 131 respectively.

Airtel Rs. 265 Prepaid Plans: Details

The Rs. 265 prepaid plan is valid for 30 days instead of 28 days. Besides, this pack now provides 1.5GB of data per day as against 1 GB of data, which means users will get 45GB of data in total instead of 30GB. However, after FUP, the speed of the internet will be reduced to 64Kbps.

In addition, this revised pack offers 100 messages per day and after the exhaustion, users have to pay Rs. 1 for the single messages and Rs. 1.5 per STD SMS. In addition, the pack offers Airtel Wynk Music and Hello Tunes.

Airtel New Four Plans: Details

Apart from the revised plans, the telecom operator launched four plans that are priced at Rs. 109, Rs. 111, Rs. 128, and Rs. 131. The first plan of Rs. 109 offers 200MB of data, talk time worth Rs. 99, Rs. 1 SMS for local, and Rs. 1.5 per message per STD messages. This pack is valid for 30 days.

Airtel Rs. 111 Plan: Details

The Rs. 111 plan offers the same benefits for 30 days. The benefit can be dependent on the validity of the month like 28/ 29/ 30/ 31 days. This pack offers 200MB of Data, and talk time worth Rs. 99. Plus, users have to pay Rs. 1.