The government today said three private GSM players would be allowed to offer 3G mobile services across the nation, for which spectrum (radio waves) will be auctioned starting April 9.
However, in five circles -- Punjab, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh -- four private operators would be allowed to offer the third generation (3G) mobile services.
3G technology enables offering high speed internet and a wide range of multimedia services including mobile broadband.
Inviting applications from mobile operators to participate in the upcoming 3G auction, the government said the successful bidders/operators can start offering services on commercial basis from September 1, this year.
The Notice Inviting Application (NIA), issued by the Department of Telecom, said that the last date for submission of applications is March 19. The mock auction will take place on April 5 and 6, which will be followed by the real round from April 9, 2010.
The government has kept the reserve price for pan-India 3G spectrum at Rs 3,500 crore for five MHz and Rs 1,750 crore for Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.
In this year's budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had projected a revenue of up to Rs 35,000 crore from sale of spectrum in the current fiscal, but now the mop up will happen in the next financial year. Going by the reserve price, the government would raise close to Rs 20,000 crore.
The NIA, however, remained silent about the 3G-equivalent services for the CDMA operators.
