3G is steadily becoming a reality in India.
Since the 3G license guidelines were announced, the great 3G auction will now commence.
There are 66 auctions to be held — 22 for CDMA, 22 for BWA (Broadband Wireless Access), and 22 for GSM. These will be held simultaneously, and the government is currently looking for an eligible auctioneer (an international expert) who will help them carry out the spectrum auction.
Siddhartha Behura, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications said, “By October end, we should be able to design the process [for the auction]; before that we have to fully identify the blocks of the technology. By the end of October we will be able to work out certain prospects; we’ll have to discuss this with the selected auctioneer and he should be able to guide us formulate the auction. So, somewhere between October and December, the auction should be finalized.”
State-owned telecom operators, MTNL and BSNL, have been provided with the first-mover’s advantage.