The infamous 3G spectrum fable got a new turn today. Government of India has announced that Indian telecom as well as global telecom players are eligible to bid for the spectrum. The global telecom segment actually comes with a caveat that they must have some international 3G expertise. So what if they don’t have any experience? Collaboration in sight?
That’s not all. The 3G scene is gonna be competitive because of the number of players in each circle except Mumbai and Delhi is restricted to 10. This means more money for the government to burn. Around Rs. 40,000 crore is expected from this auction. Lastly, the state-owned operators, MTNL and BSNL do not have to bid for the auction and they can get the spectrum as soon as they pay the amount equal to the highest bidder.