Business
Acquired 12 telecom circle in auction, says Vodafone India
New Delhi, March 26
Vodafone India has
acquired spectrum in 12 telecom circles in the recently concluded
spectrum auction for a total cost of Rs.25,810 crore, which will help it
in expanding its 3G services, a company statement said here on
Thursday.
"Vodafone India successfully bought spectrum in all six
of its 900 MHz circles due for extension in December 2015.
Significantly expanding its 3G capabilities, Vodafone India acquired 5
MHz of 900 MHz band spectrum in Odisha and added a further 30 MHz of
spectrum in the 2100 MHz band in six new circles," said the statement.
Vodafone
India has also bought an additional 5.6 MHz of 1800 MHz spectrum in
three circles to complement the 49 MHz of 1800 MHz spectrum acquired in
the February 2014 auction.
"With the new and existing spectrum,
Vodafone India will be able to expand its 3G service over its own
network from 9 circles to 16 circles. These circles in total represent
88 percent of Vodafone India's service revenues," the statement said.
"With
the spectrum acquired in this auction, we have ensured the continuity
of our business and increased our capability to provide high speed 3G
coverage to more areas. Vodafone has committed a total of approximately
Rs.25,810 crore in this auction. This is on top of Rs.75,000 crore we
have already invested in the last five years," said MD and CEO Marten
Pieters.
"We will continue to invest in building our network in
the coming years to harness the potential of the spectrum won. We remain
committed to providing seamless connectivity and superior communication
services to our customers and will expand our 3G service from 9 to 16
circles. We hope that in future, the government will ensure adequate
spectrum is made available to achieve the vision of Digital India," he
added.
In the auction, Vodafone India acquired a total of 78.4
MHz comprising 42.8 MHz in the 900 MHz band in Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (East) and West Bengal;
5.6 MHz in the 1800 MHz band in Gujarat, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh (East)
and 30.0 MHz in the 2100 MHz band in Assam, Karnataka, Kerala,
Northeast, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (West).