Reliance Industries’ Jio emerged as the biggest spender in India’s $19 billion 5G spectrum auction, with the top telco player winning airwaves worth $11 billion as the world’s number two mobile market gears up for the high-speed wireless network.

India’s government aims to begin the rollout of 5G — which it says can provide data speeds about 10 times faster than 4G — by October this year.

Globally, the next generation network is seen as vital for emerging technologies like self-driving cars and artificial intelligence.

The country’s telecoms minister said that companies bought 71 percent of a total of 72 GHz spectrum offered in the auction, which concluded on Monday and also saw participation from Jio rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, as well as a unit of Adani Enterprises Ltd, a Reuters report said Monday.

Airtel and Vodafone won spectrum worth $5.4 billion and $2.4 billion, respectively.

Adani, the newest entrant to the auction process, purchased airwaves worth nearly $27 million. The firm does not plan to offer consumer services and is instead aiming to enter the private 5G network space.

To aid the cash-strapped telecom sector, the government is allowing auction winners to pay the amounts owed in 20 equal annual installments.

“This spectrum acquisition…has been part of a deliberate strategy to buy the best spectrum assets at a substantially lower relative cost compared to our competition,” Airtel Chief Executive Officer Gopal Vittal said in a statement.

Meanwhile, in a detailed media statement, Reliance Jio said it acquired spectrum in the 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands in the auctions conducted by the Department of Telecommunications.

Launched just six years ago, Jio has created multiple world records during its roll out of the largest 4G network in the shortest period of time, the statement asserted, adding that through 5G it’d ensure that every Indian gets to “access the most transformative digital services and platforms offered anywhere in the world”.

Akash M Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said: “We have always believed that India will become a leading economic power in the world by adopting the power of breakthrough technologies. This was the vision and conviction that gave birth to Jio. The speed, scale and societal impact of Jio’s 4G rollout is unmatched anywhere in the world. Now, with a bigger ambition and stronger resolve, Jio is set to lead India’s march into the 5G era.”

On its part, Airtel said it plans to launch 5G services in every part of the country, starting with key cities.

The company is convinced that its higher-quality customer base will adopt 5G devices at a rapid pace in the country. In addition, Airtel’s strong presence in the Enterprise segment will allow for a slew of industrial use cases further strengthening Airtel’s leadership in the B2B market, an official statement said.

Gopal Vittal, M.D & CEO, Bharti Airtel, asserted, “Airtel is delighted with the results of the 5G auction. This spectrum acquisition at the latest auction has been a part of a deliberate strategy to buy the best spectrum assets at a substantially lower relative cost compared to our competition.

“This will allow us to change a lot of established paradigms for both our B2C and B2B customers. 5G technology is the revolution that can alter India’s manufacturing, services and several other sectors. We remain fully committed to the Government’s Digital India vision.”