New Delhi: The upcoming 2G spectrum auction next month will see Vodafone, Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel putting up a fierce fight, if one goes by the bank guarantees furnished by these telecom companies.
Vodafone has offered a bank guarantee of Rs 2,800 crore while RIL arm Reliance Jio, which owns a nationwide licence for high-speed 4G mobile phone networks, has put in a bank surety of Rs 2,600 crore. Airtel has submitted Rs 3,700 crore in bank guarantees, sources privy to the development said.
The bank guarantees may indicate the amount of spectrum that the companies will bid for. Vodafone, RJio and Airtel may bid for the 900 MHz spectrum in Delhi and Mumbai.
Idea Cellular, which has put in a Rs 1,565 crore bank guarantee, may bid for 900 MHz in Mumbai.
Anil Ambani-run Reliance Communica-tions’ offer of a Rs 200 crore bank guarantee and Tata Teleservices putting in a Rs 130 crore surety indicate they may bid for small chunks of spectrum to fill gaps in their network.
Sources said Norway’s Telenor has offered a Rs 600 crore bank guarantee, while Aircel has put in a Rs 400 crore surety.
The government plans to sell spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. Bharti and Vodafone want spectrum in the 900 MHz band to renew their permits in cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
With 900 MHz spectrum, RJio will be able to provide all kinds of mobile services, including 2G and 3G telecom services.
