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3G spectrum auction from January 14
By siliconindia
Bangalore: After all the controversies, finally Govt has decided to schedule the 3G auction from January 14, 2010. A Raja, Union Minister for Telecommunication said, "There is no change in auction schedule."
When asked about the number of slots to be auctioned, Raja said, "The empowered group of ministers (eGoM) will take a decision on the number of slots to be sold." But Govt said that the the 3G telephony spectrum available with it for sale could accommodate only three operators as one slot has already been awarded to state-owned MTNL (that operates in Delhi and Mumbai) and BSNL (rest of India). Earlier, it had decided to auction spectrum to four private operators, apart from the state-run firms.
It is being thought that this decision came after Ministry of Defence showed reluctance to vacate the designated spectrum (air waves) for commercial use, reports Hindustan Times.
The government has fixed the reserve price of spectrum at 
3,500 crore for pan-Indian 3G spectrum and 1,750 crore for Wimax (wireless Internet/broadband), which is expected to fetch the government revenue of 25,000 crore. This may fall short of estimates as it would have to forgo at least 5,250 crore due to cancellation of one slot.
3,500 crore for pan-Indian 3G spectrum and 1,750 crore for Wimax (wireless Internet/broadband), which is expected to fetch the government revenue of 25,000 crore. This may fall short of estimates as it would have to forgo at least 5,250 crore due to cancellation of one slot.