The Union government will kick-start its biggest-ever 2G and 3G spectrum auction on Wednesday, which could fetch it at least Rs. 82,000 crore.
Eight companies, including Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, are expected to bid aggressively for a total of 380.8 megahertz (MHz) of bands valid for 20 years.
Most of the spectrum being put up for the auction is now held by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications, whose licences are expiring in 2015-16. The final allocation is subject to the outcome of a Supreme Court case regarding the sale mechanism.