MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal has said the company will be at the forefront of bringing 5G connectivity to India with a powerful network to support the country’s digital-first economy. The comments from Mittal assume significance as the countdown for 5G spectrum auctions has begun. A total 72 GHz (gigahertz) of radiowaves worth at least Rs 4.3 lakh crore will be put on the block during the auction, scheduled to begin on July 26.

As a precursor to the mega event, the Telecom Department is holding a mock auction (mock drill) on Friday and Saturday (July 22 and July 23).A unit of billionaire Gautam Adani’s flagship Adani Enterprise Ltd, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are set to participate in the auction of 5G spectrum.