Jio Consolidates Its Leadership Position By Acquiring Right To Use Spectrum In 1800 MHz Band In 2 Circles

In the Spectrum Auction conducted by the Department of Telecommunications, which concluded on Wednesday, Jio, India's largest digital services provider, acquired additional spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in Bihar and West Bengal.

With this acquisition, Jio's spectrum footprint has now increased to 26,801 MHz (uplink plus downlink), solidifying its leadership position.

Jio has already deployed the largest amount of spectrum pan-India on bandwidth-efficient technologies like 4G and 5G, with this incremental spectrum acquired to address geography-specific demand and ensure the highest quality customer experience on its network.

Jio is the only operator in India to have access to the low-band, mid-band, and high-band (700 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz) spectrums, which gives it the unique advantage of providing a superlative experience to its customers on 5G.

Akash M. Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, said, "We have already demonstrated our commitment to the Digital India Vision by rolling out one of the world's fastest and widest standalone 5G networks within 12 months of allotment of spectrum.

"This new spectrum acquisition will continue to enable us to serve the aspirations of New India in terms of growing traffic demands and superior customer experience, which is no longer limited to only urban markets.

We want every Indian to enjoy the transformational benefits of Jio's next generation of digital solutions." As per the terms of the spectrum auction, the above spectrum cost can be paid over 20 equated annual instalments, with interest computed at 8.65 per cent per annum.