Bharti Airtel acquired Videocon's spectrum in 6 circles for 4428 crore rupees

 Bharti Airtel Ltd., India’s largest mobile phone operator, on 17 March 2016 announced the acquisition of Videocon Telecommunications Ltd’s entire spectrum for 4428 crore rupees.
•    It is the second such acquisition in India’s fragmented telecom sector after the Union Government allowed trading of airwaves in October 2015.
•    The deal gives Bharti Airtel the rights to use 2x5MHz spectrum in the 1800 megahertz (MHz) band in six licence areas, which are Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
•    After the deal, Bharti Airtel’s 4G coverage will go up to 19 circles from the current 15.
•    The deal gives Airtel additional spectrum in the 1,800 megahertz (MHz) band in six licence areas—Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. 
•    It also signals the exit of Videocon, which acquired the spectrum in a November 2012 auction, from telecom services.
•    The spectrum trading rules have finally spurred consolidation in India’s telecom sector, where as many as 11 operators are competing, driving down prices and profits, even as the high cost of spectrum is adding pressure on already stressed balance sheets. 
•    The operators have a combined debt of more than Rs.3.5 trillion on revenue of more than Rs.2 trillion.