Vodafone receives fresh spectrum in 14 circles

The government has allocated spectrum to Vodafone India in all 14 service areas where it had obtained spectrum in the November 2012 auction for Rs1,127.94 crore.

"The spectrum has been allocated to Vodafone on 18 June. After this, a Wireless Operating Licence will be issued," official sources said, according to a PTI report.

Vodafone was among the telecom operators complaining that they had not been allotted spectrum despite having won it months back.

Vodafone participated in November 2012 auction to bid for additional spectrum. The company acquired spectrum in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, North East, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh East and West, Punjab and West Bengal.

The company is second to get spectrum allocation among firms that participated in November 2012 auction.

Videocon was the first company that received spectrum from DoT in March. The rest of the companies – Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Telewings Communications (Telenor) who participated in the auction are yet to receive spectrum.

In November 2012, government auctioned 2G airwaves that were freed through licence cancellation under Supreme Court orders. The auction saw muted response industry and fetched bids worth only Rs9,407.64 crore against a minimum value of Rs28,000 crore fixed by the government.

Sistema Shyam, the lone bidder in March 2013 auction, has also not yet received spectrum.

Sources said that the process is on and other companies will be allocated spectrum soon, according to the report.