Is India Ready For 3G Auction?
India is the world’s fastest flourishing mobile services market. There were 305 million wireless subscribers at the end of August, behind only China’s about 600 million, with the emerging potential envisioned as large as only 28 out of 100 Indians own a mobile phone.
The telecoms minister said that they are projecting to reevaluate market conditions for a projected auction of radio waves for future generation wireless services, but hopes to start on schedule by December.
When asked whether it was the proper time for the auction, that will be the agenda between him and the finance minister on the next meeting. The government has appointed U.S. bank Rothschild to manage the auction, which they anticipated to see profit from both local and foreign firms. The Government was weighing easy guidelines to allow winning bidders to pay in instalment because of the global liquidity crunch.