The re-appointed minister of IT and Communications, Andimuthu Raja is in the news again, for making some revolutionary promises (or so we hope): 3G Auction By The End Of The Year Raja may as well have commented on the medias unhealthy obsession with all things 3G; the Hindu reports that he chose to suggest that the 3G auctions will take place before the end of the year, within two months of a clearance from the Group of Ministers (GoM) or the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). That's rather vague, and going by what happened last year, any deadline can (and probably will) change, given the machinations of lobbying. Public sector telecom operators MTNL and BSNL already have 3G services operational, but the response has been muted. That said, 3G could well serve as an entry point for new telecom operators, and more money for the telecom sector. Infrastructure service providers will benefit most. BSNL Listing & No Merger with MTNL Raja has said that the government wants to list BSNL, and he has told the BSNL management to speak to the trade unions, reports Business Standard. BSNL had considered listing last year - at that time, rumored to be a $100 Billion listing - but was met with significant opposition from trade unions, who wouldn't even accept being given shares of the entity. Now that the communist parties are no longer in government, and the fact that listing of profitable PSUs was a part of the Congress Party manifesto, there…
