AGGRESSIVE BIDDING FOR 900-MHZ BAND

Telecom companies bid aggressively for the efficient 900-MHz band available in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata circles on the first day of the spectrum auction on Monday. For the 1,800-MHz band available in the other 22 circles, momentum is slowly building up.

After seven rounds, the price for the 900-MHz band for the Mumbai circle was Rs. 473.24 crore, Delhi, Rs. 428.92 crore, and Kolkata Rs. 173.16 crore, well above the reserve prices for these circles fixed by the government. In the 1,800-MHz band, Gujarat was the only circle to create some buzz.

Eight firms — Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, Aircel, Idea Cellular, Tata Teleservices, Telewings Communications, Reliance Communications and Reliance Jio Infocomm — are in the fray.