Telecoms giant Vodafone says its Indian subsidiary has been awarded spectrum licences in 14 mobile phone service areas in the Indian government's 1800 megahertz (MHz) spectrum auction.
Vodafone India bid successfully for 2.5MHz of spectrum in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh West, Haryana, Orissa, North East, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and West Bengal, while bids for 1.25MHz licences in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh East, Maharashtra and Kerala were also successful.
In all, Vodafone's total bid in the auction was £138m. The spectrum secured is available for use immediately, and will extend the firm's reach across the country, including in rural areas.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Participation in the auction marks Vodafone's return to expansion of its 2G network, as it had not received new 2G spectrum since 2008. Since then, Vodafone's customer base in India has grown from 60m to over 150m.
JH
-
RICS: Housing market continues to strengthen but 2025 could be challengingThe latest survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reports a resilient UK housing market, but warns of headwinds next year
-
Bitcoin price one of the most-asked questions on Alexa - here's how to buy the cryptocurrencyAccording to figures from Amazon, which cover September 2023 to November 2024, pop star Taylor Swift and Bitcoin were named among the most popular Alexa queries of 2024
