3G Spectrum auction India
Encyclopedia
The 3G
spectrum auction in India
began on 9 April 2010. The winners were awarded spectrum in September, and Tata Docomo
was the first private operator to launch 3G services in India. The government has earned from the 3G spectrum auction. While the broadband wireless spectrum auction generated a revenue of . Together 3G and BWA auction, the government of India earned a total revenue of over .
Apart from the above state-owned BSNL and MTNL were also awarded spectrum although they did not participate in the auction. BSNL will have to pay the Indian government Rs. 10,187 crores for spectrum in all 20 circles it operates in. State-owned MTNL provides 3G services in the other 2 circles - Delhi
and Mumbai
. Both these state-owned operators were given a head start by the government in the 3G space by allotting the required 3G spectrum, on the condition that each will have to pay an amount which will be equivalent to the highest bid in the respective service areas as and when the 3G auctions take place.
of the DMK was alleged of irregularities in the earlier sale of 2G
Spectrum auction. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
claimed that by not holding 2G auction A. Raja had lost crores of Rupees for the exchequer. A lot of political parties in India like the CPM
and AIADMK had pressed for the resignation of Mr. Raja before the auction.. The Central Bureau of Investigation
has been brought in to investigate the charges..
, Mumbai
, Karnataka
, Tamil Nadu
and Andhra Pradesh
accounted for 65.56% of the total bids.
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
spectrum auction in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
began on 9 April 2010. The winners were awarded spectrum in September, and Tata Docomo
Tata DoCoMo
TATA DoCoMo, referred to as DoCoMo , is a Tata Teleservices Limited owned cellular service provider on the GSM and CDMA platform-arising out of the Tata Group's strategic joint venture with Japanese telecom giant NTT Docomo in November 2008...
was the first private operator to launch 3G services in India. The government has earned from the 3G spectrum auction. While the broadband wireless spectrum auction generated a revenue of . Together 3G and BWA auction, the government of India earned a total revenue of over .
Players
The private companies which participated in the auction were- Bharti AirtelBharti AirtelBharti Airtel Limited , commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian telecommunications company that operates in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. It operates a GSM network in all countries, providing 2G or 3G services depending upon the country of operation...
- AircelAircelAircel group is a mobile phone service provider in India. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India. The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities & Investments Private Limited, whose current...
- Idea CellularIdea cellularIdea Cellular, usually referred to as Idea, is an Indian wireless telecom company based in Mumbai, India. Idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded of over 98.4 million customers as of August 2011....
- Reliance CommunicationsReliance CommunicationsReliance Communications Ltd. is an Indian broadband and telecommunications company headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. RCOM is the world's 16th largest mobile phone operator with over 144 million subscribers. Established on 2004, a subsidiary of the Reliance Group...
- S TelS TelS Tel Private Limited is a GSM based cellular operator in India. It has a unified services access license in Orissa, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, North East, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir...
- Tata Teleservices
- Vodafone EssarVodafone EssarVodafone Essar, formerly Hutchison Essar, is a cellular operator in India that covers 23 telecom circles in India. It is based in Mumbai. On July 2011, Vodafone Group agreed terms for the buy-out of its partner Essar from its Indian mobile phone business. The UK firm paid $5.46 billion to its...
Apart from the above state-owned BSNL and MTNL were also awarded spectrum although they did not participate in the auction. BSNL will have to pay the Indian government Rs. 10,187 crores for spectrum in all 20 circles it operates in. State-owned MTNL provides 3G services in the other 2 circles - Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Both these state-owned operators were given a head start by the government in the 3G space by allotting the required 3G spectrum, on the condition that each will have to pay an amount which will be equivalent to the highest bid in the respective service areas as and when the 3G auctions take place.
Controversy
The telecom minister of the Government of India A. RajaA. Raja
Andimuthu Raja is an Indian politician from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party. He was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha representing the Nilgiris constituency of Tamil Nadu....
of the DMK was alleged of irregularities in the earlier sale of 2G
2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
Spectrum auction. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
TRAI
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India. -History:...
claimed that by not holding 2G auction A. Raja had lost crores of Rupees for the exchequer. A lot of political parties in India like the CPM
CPM
CPM may refer to:Advertising*cost per mille, the advert cost per thousand views*Cost per impression, the online advert cost per thousand views M=1000 in roman numerals so CPM = C=Cost P=Per M=1,000 as in banner advertising you pay for each 1,000 ad views your banner getsProject Management*Critical...
and AIADMK had pressed for the resignation of Mr. Raja before the auction.. The Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
has been brought in to investigate the charges..
Auction Results
The auction took 34 days and 183 rounds of bidding. The top circle or telecom region was Delhi at a price of 3316.94 Crore INR per operator. Mumbai came in Second. The top five circles DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
accounted for 65.56% of the total bids.
| Circle / Operator | Vodafone | Bharti Airtel | Reliance | Tata | Idea | Aircel | STel | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 3 | |||||||
| Mumbai | 3 | |||||||
| Maharashtra & Goa | 3 | |||||||
| Gujarat | 3 | |||||||
| Andhra Pradesh | 3 | |||||||
| Karnataka | 3 | |||||||
| Tamil Nadu | 3 | |||||||
| Kolkata | 3 | |||||||
| Kerala | 3 | |||||||
| Punjab | 4 | |||||||
| Haryana | 3 | |||||||
| Uttar Pradesh (East) | 3 | |||||||
| Uttar Pradesh (West) | 3 | |||||||
| Rajasthan | 3 | |||||||
| Madhya Pradesh | 3 | |||||||
| West Bengal | 4 | |||||||
| Himachal Pradesh | 4 | |||||||
| Bihar | 4 | |||||||
| Orissa | 3 | |||||||
| Assam | 3 | |||||||
| North East | 3 | |||||||
| Jammu & Kashmir | 4 | |||||||
| Total | 9 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 3 | 71 |