The bidding process completed 6 rounds bringing to total up to 61 rounds. As of now 87% of the total spectrum put up for auction has been provisionally sold. At the end of round 61 there was surplus demand in 800MHz band in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and North East circles. In 900MHz there was excess demand in West Bengal circle and in 1800MHz band there was excess demand in Haryana circle. There was no surplus demand in 2100MHz band at the end of round 61. The Government will not be declaring the names of the winners till the final verdict is passed by supreme court, the hearing of which is scheduled for 26th of this month.
The maximum bids of 84 were received for Tamil Nadu circle with a winning amount of Rs.45 crore per block in the 1800 MHz band. However, this circle saw 11 less bids. The second highest bids of 75 were received for Punjab circle with a winning amount of Rs.72.15 crore per block in the 900 MHz band. This circle also saw three less bids.
The ongoing auction is crucial for many existing telecom players. The licences of Idea Cellular (nine circles), Bharti Airtel (six circles) and Vodafone and Reliance Telecom (seven circles each) are due for renewal in 2015-16, which has made ongoing spectrum auction crucial for them. Overall, 29 licences in 18 service areas are due for renewal in 2015-16. These licences hold 184 MHz of spectrum in the 900 MHz band and 34.2 MHz in the 1,800 MHz band. Seven circles -- Bihar, HP, UP west, Gujarat, Orissa and Kerala -- which are must wins for some telcos, have seen prices going up by over 100 per cent.
Bidding will continue on Monday morning with round 62. Keep reading TT for the latest updates on the spectrum auction process.
