Vodafone wins 14 licences in Indian 2G auction

Telecoms giant Vodafone says its Indian subsidiary has been awarded spectrum licences in 14 mobile phone service areas in the Indian government's 1800 megahertz (MHz) spectrum auction.Vodafone India bid successfully for 2.5MHz of spectrum in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh West, Haryana, Orissa, North East, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and West Bengal, while bids for 1.25MHz licences in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh East, Maharashtra and Kerala were also successful. In all, Vodafone's total bid in the auction was £138m. The spectrum secured is available for use immediately, and will extend the firm's reach across the country, including in rural areas. Participation in the auction marks Vodafone's return to expansion of its 2G network, as it had not received new 2G spectrum since 2008. Since then, Vodafone's customer base in India has grown from 60m to over 150m. JH