The government has constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) for auctioning the 3G spectrum and setting the reserve price for Broadband and Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.
The EgoM will be headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. It will have eight other members, including Home Minister P Chidambaram, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, Defence Minister A K Antony, Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Communications Minister A Raja and Information & Broadcasting Minister Ambani Soni, Minister of State (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, sources in the Department of Telecommunications said.
The EGoM will decide on the quantum of 3G spectrum to be auctioned, annual spectrum charges, additional administrative charges and the reserve price for 3G and BWA spectrum among others.
The group of ministers will also look into spectrum and allocation of band for Evolution Value Data Optimised (EVDO), a high-end data application service.
Last month, the government, while doubling the reserve price for 3G spectrum to Rs 4,040 crore, had decided to allow six private operators (apart from BSNL and MTNL) to offer the service in the country. Initially, six private operators, apart from the state-owned MTNL and BSNL, were expected to be allowed to offer 3G services.
Earlier this month, the government referred the issue of reserve price to a group of ministers. The industry expects the 3G auction by the end of this year, even though the government is yet to make any commitment.
3G enables high-speed internet, videos and many other value-added services on mobile phones.
