Govt makes Rs 67,000 as 3G auction closes

Govt raises twice the revenue expected from the auction even as Airtel, Vodafone and RCom emerge as highest bidders

PTI | May 19, 2010



The auction for 3G mobile licence closed today, leaving finance minister Pranab Mukherjee with Rs 67,710 crore (around USD 15 billion) - twice the revenue he expected to raise.

The pan-India bid for third generation spectrum stood at Rs 16,750.58 crore and Anil Ambani-led RCom bagged the highest number of 13 circles, followed by Bharti in 12, Idea in 11 and Vodafone and Tatas in nine circles each, according to the Department of Telecom (DoT).

Key circles Mumbai and Delhi went to Bharti, Vodafone and RCom. Delhi spectrum went for Rs 3,316.93 crore, while that the bid for Mumbai closed at Rs 3,247.07 crore on the 34th day of auction.

No single player could bag pan-India licence for 3G mobile services.

The government had estimated raising Rs 35,000 crore from sale of spectrum for 3G as well as Broadband Wireless access (BWA) put together.

But with auction for BWA spectrum yet to begin, the revenue mop up could go up further.

Besides Delhi and Mumbai, Bharti has got 3G spectrum in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, UP (West), Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

Bharti, however, lost out in Punjab, from where company promoter Sunil Mittal hails.

RCom would be able to offer 3G mobile services in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Kolkata, Punjab, North East and Jammu and Kashmir, other than Delhi and Mumbai.

Vodafone-Essar has succeeded in Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Haryana, UP (East). Vodafone also bagged Delhi and Mumbai.

Tatas, who have been denied 2G spectrum in Delhi, also lost out on 3G spectrum in Delhi. They, however, managed to get a slot in Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP (West), Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Haryana.

Similarly, Idea Cellular got spectrum in 11 circles including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and UP (East), among others.

New operators Etisalat and Videocon have failed to get spectrum in even one cirlce, while Aircel and S Tel have bagged a few service areas.
 

Comments

 

Other News

‘Oral cancer deaths in India cause productivity loss of 0.18% GDP’

A first-of-its-kind study on the economic loss due to premature death from oral cancer in India by the Tata Memorial Centre has found that this form of cancer has a premature mortality rate of 75.6% (34 premature events / 45 total events) resulting in productivity loss of approximately $5.6 billion in 2022

Days of Reading: Upendra Baxi recalls works that shaped his youth

Of Law and Life Upendra Baxi in Conversation with Arvind Narrain, Lawrence Liang, Sitharamam Kakarala, and Sruti Chaganti Orient BlackSwan, Rs 2,310

Voting by tribal communities blossoms as ECI’s efforts bear fruit

The efforts made by the Election Commission of India (ECI), over last two years, for inclusion of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) communities and other tribal groups in the electoral process have borne fruit with scenes of tribal groups in various states/UTs participating enthusiastically in t

GST revenue for April 2024 at a new high

The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections hit a record high in April 2024 at ₹2.10 lakh crore. This represents a significant 12.4% year-on-year growth, driven by a strong increase in domestic transactions (up 13.4%) and imports (up 8.3%). After accounting for refunds, the net GST

First Magahi novel presents a glimpse of Bihar bureaucracy a century ago

Fool Bahadur By Jayanath Pati (Translated by Abhay K.) Penguin Modern Classics, 112 pages, Rs 250 “Bab

Are EVs empowering India`s Green Transition?

Against the backdrop of the $3.5 billion Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme launched by the Government of India, sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs) are expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% by 2032. It is crucial to take into account the fact that 86% of EV sales in India were under the price bracket of $2

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter