Spectrum auction: DoT to demand payment from Jio, Airtel, and Vi; here's what they owe

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is likely to issue a demand note to telecom majors such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) for payment of spectrum they brought in the recent auction, according to a media report.

A total of 141.4 megahertz (MHz) of radio waves worth ₹11,340.78 crore was sold in the just-concluded auction.

Sunil Mittal's Bharti Airtel was the biggest bidder for radio waves, purchasing airwaves worth ₹6,856.76 crore. Market leader Reliance Jio bid and won airwaves valued at ₹973.62 crore.

Vi got ₹3,510.4 crore worth of spectrum in the auction.

Spectrum auction: Key highlights

As per the terms and conditions of the bid document, spectrum payments must be made within ten days of the issue of the demand note.

Meanwhile, all telecom operators have raised mobile tariffs from the month of July.

Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will roll out hiked mobile service rates from Wednesday, July 3.

Vodafone Idea will increase mobile tariffs by 11%-24% from July 4.

"In line with its commitment to provide its consumers with simple and comprehensive plans, Vi has curated an optimum range of feature-rich plans to meet the diverse needs of its consumers. Staying true to its philosophy of supporting entry-level users and progressively linking higher prices to increased usage, changes in entry-level plans are nominal," Vi said in a statement.