Disqus
The DoT (Department of Telecom) in India has apparently announced the radio spectrum that will be made available when 3G licenses are eventually auctioned off.
It could be the case that just 4 Operators are given radio spectrum around Delhi – given that two incumbents (BSNL and MTNL) already have some licenses in each zone, then that would be just the possibility of two new Operators coming to play. In other areas, there is apparently going to be more provision for private players – meaning up to 11 ‘Operators’ could enter business (I’d guess it probably won’t be that many, but who knows!). The greater availability of spectrum in these other zones is due to the Defence Ministry giving up some of its Spectrum.
There is still much to-ing and fro-ing to be done though over the 3G licenses themselves – currently there are disputes over how many Operators can exist per zone, and whether the relevant spectrum is sold in tranches, or in one go. Hopefully something will be resolved soon, as India is beginning to really lag behind in 3G technologies, particularly as many other countries are already at HSPA (3.5G) level, and going to HSPA+ (3.75G) soon.
[Story via: Cellular News / Image via: Wikipedia]
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
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Anuj
