3G auction update

Ensuring a minimum of Rs 24,620 crore to the government’s kitty, the price for all-India 3G spectrum rose to Rs 6,068 crore on Day 8 of the auction and the bidding is still going strong. The Delhi circle continued to be the most in demand with the bid price going up to Rs 691.2 crore against the reserve price of Rs 320 crore. The government has set a target of generating up to Rs 35,000 crore from the sale of spectrumfor 3G telephony and broadband wireless access (BWA). The auction for BWA will start two days after that of 3G. Earlier during the day, telecom minister A Raja exuded confidence that the government’s revenues may exceed the target of Rs 35,000 crore. According to senior DoT officials, the activity level is still 80%, meaning that the operators are still concentrating only on metros and A-category circles.