Government to net Rs45,000 crore from spectrum auction: Raja
21 Apr 2010
Telecom minister A Raja said today that the government was likely to earn up to Rs45,000 crore from the auction of 3G and broadband spectrum.
He said the projection was much higher than the earlier target of up to Rs35,000 crore.
Speaking on the sidelines of a telecom event, Raja said the auction of 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum put together would likely fetch Rs44,000 crore to Rs45,000 crore for the government.
By Tuesday's round of bidding for 3G, which started on 9 April, the government estimated that it would get at least Rs25,770 crore from the sale of third generation (3G) spectrum alone.
Tuesday was the 9th day of bidding which saw the base price increase to Rs6,355 crore for pan-India frequency from Rs3,500 crore.
Delhi, meanwhile, continues to occupy the top slot with a Rs733 crore bid against the base price of Rs320 crore.
Fifty-two rounds have been completed so far and there is no access demand in major circles like Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, indicating that the price may not rise further in these circles.
