Some observers expressed surprise at Reliance Jio’s acquisition of 10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band, in the recently concluded Indian 5G auction. Yet Jio’s arch-rival Bharti Airtel felt moved to explain why it had spurned that band. The distinction between the two approaches reflects partly the spectrum holdings the two operators currently hold, but also differing views on the value of moving quickly to support 5G Standalone (SA), which is mainly needed to support the most demanding applications, especially those requiring ultra-low latency as in the industrial IoT and advanced gaming. Airtel regards such use cases as lower priority for India than establishing more widespread high speed broadband connectivity, given the paucity of fixed line options…