Vodafone India acquires multiple spectrum licences

14th Feb 2014 07:56

Vodafone's Indian arm has acquired spectrum licences in 11 telecom circles in the government's 900 megahertz (MHz) and 1800 MHz spectrum auctions. Vodafone acquired a total of 72 MHz for £1.9bn, of which £0.54m will be paid in the 2014 financial year and the remainder from 2017 onwards. Vodafone India also maintained its overall holdings of 900 MHz spectrum in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, and purchased 1800 MHz spectrum in four circles where its licences are due for extension in 2015.The group explained that the investments would "enable Vodafone India to build on its success in delivering superior mobile services to its customers throughout India"."Vodafone India has over 160m customers, with the number of mobile internet users increasing 38% to 45.7m in its most recent quarter. Data usage also continues to grow strongly with 3G usage now averaging in excess of 700MB per month," the group said. NR