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Airtel to acquire 400 MHz spectrum from Adani Enterprises in 5G boost

Bharti Airtel is set to acquire the entire 400 megahertz (MHz) spectrum of Adani Data Networks Limited (ADNL), the company said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. "Bharti Airtel Limited and its Subsidiary, Bharti Hexacom Limited have entered into definitive agreements with Adani Data Networks Limited (ADNL), a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises to acquire rights to use of 400 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band in Gujarat (100 MHz), Mumbai (100 MHz), Andhra Pradesh (50 MHz), Rajasthan (50 MHz), Karnataka (50 MHz) and Tamil Nadu (50 MHz). The closing of the transaction is subject to satisfaction of the standard conditions (including conditions stated in the Spectrum Trading Guidelines) and statutory approval(s)," the company's statement read. In August 2022, ADNL acquired the right to use 400 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz millimetre wave band during India's inaugural 5G spectrum auction. ADNL spent ₹212 crore for the wave band for 20 years, spanning six service areas: Gujarat, Mumbai, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. ADNL emphasised that it had no plans to enter the consumer mobility sector and intended to use this spectrum for private network solutions -- enhancing digital infrastructure across its diverse business operations, including ports, airports, power generation, and logistics. Shortly after the spectrum, ADNL was granted a Unified Licence for Access Services in October 2022. This licence authorised the company to provide comprehensive telecom services across India. In January this year, ADNL faced scrutiny from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for its delay in rolling out 5G telecom services despite securing the spectrum. According to a Moneycontrol report, the government issued multiple notices to ADNL regarding its non-compliance with minimum rollout obligations (MRO) for 5G services. Bharti Airtel's 5G push In the same 2022 auction, Bharti Airtel acquired 19,800 MHz of spectrum across multiple bands, including 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz, for ₹43,084 crore. With this acquisition, Airtel got a pan-India footprint in the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands, positioning it to launch 5G services starting with key cities. Airtel's acquisition of ADNL's 400 MHz spectrum signifies its push for 5G services expansion, particularly in the high-frequency 26 GHz band, which is essential for delivering high-speed, low-latency services. According to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Airtel gained the most number of subscribers in January this year, with 1.65 million new wireless users, while Reliance Jio added 0.68 million users.