Update: Delayed again? I'm tired of using the word tiresome, so I'll let Monty Python share this simple, succinct message for the Indian government: Earlier (Feb 26th): The 3G Auction notice announced yesterday paints an abstract picture of the future: for some reason, the government has indicated that metros Delhi, Mumbai, Class A circles such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra shall get only three 3G operators while selected Class B and C circles such as Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir get four. Is this move to protect government owned telcos BSNL and MTNL? MTNL only operates in Delhi and Mumbai; both the telcos registered unexpectedly low 3G subscribers. In the first four months of BSNL launching 3G, it only registered 13,000 subscribers. MTNL too had to reduce rates for 3G after a poor start in the capital. Do read our post MTNL Brings 3G Jadoo To Mumbai; Killer App; 3G A Revolution? Spectrum auctioning for wireless broadband (BWA) is much neater - a consistent 2 operators per circle will be permitted. Set to begin on April 9th, the auction of 3G spectrum in India will be preceded by a mock auction. For the timetable of events, read our earlier post. The spectrum under the hammer will be: 3G: 2.1GHz, paired up in blocks of 5MHz BWA: 2.3GHz, in blocks of 20MHz Download: 3G & BWA Auction Notice Inviting Applications (PDF) Two Stages: Clock & Frequency Identification In the Clock stage, spectrum…
