The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has released a list of applicants who will participate in the upcoming spectrum auction. For the uninformed, the spectrum auction is scheduled for July 26, 2022. According to the DoT notification, the list of applicants includes the following names: Trust Jio Infocomm Ltd, Adani Data Networks Ltd, Vodafone Idea Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd.
The arrival of Adani Data Networks is a surprise to the industry. All of these companies will bid on the spectrum in the 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands.
Adani Data Networks Marks Adani Group’s Entry into Hard-Core Telecom Business
Adani Group had previously clarified that they want to provide private network services and cybersecurity services in airports and more with 5G spectrum. So it’s clear that the group wants to stay with the business for the time being.
Adani Group fully owns Adani Data Networks. The privately held company was founded by Adani Enterprises in late 2021 to provide domestic and international network connectivity services. It is currently a very small part of Adani Group. But in the coming years, it could also be a publicly traded entity that will compete directly with Jio, Airtel and Vi.
Adani Data Networks would be a hard and solid entry for the Adani Group in the telecom sector. It also gives India a new telecom player. Adani Group has the money to drive the growth of Adani Data Networks, just as Reliance Industries Limited had the money to grow Reliance Jio.
The company already has a data center business in India. Adani Group may be fighting Airtel and Jio on a personal level in the coming years. It won’t happen right away, but it could happen because of the investment and growth strategies Adani Group has been pursuing in recent years. The spectrum auction is now just two weeks away, and we’ll see how the action unfolds.
