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| Qualcomm to bid for broadband wireless |
| BS Reporter / New Delhi Mar 18, 2010, 00:37 IST |
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Global chip maker Qualcomm today said it had put in an application with the Indian government to bid for the pan-India auction of Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum, scheduled next month.
This move would help the company in launching new generation technologies — TD-LTE (Time Division Long Term Evolution), Qualcomm said in a statement.
“Qualcomm has a history of participating in spectrum auctions to expedite the commercialisation of new wireless technologies. If successful in bidding, then the company will look for an Indian partner after completion of auction,” the statement added. The government restricts foreign direct investment (FDI) at 74 per cent in the sector.
However, this announcement has not gone down well with the Wimax Forum in India. The Forum’s chairman, C S Rao, said: “TD-LTE does not have any single product to showcase. It is not near the level of testing, maturity and scalibility. It is not even a global standard. This move will help Qualcomm to buy spectrum that can be used after only two-three years and will not help India achieve its wireless broadband target.”
Globally, Qualcomm has not promoted TD-LTE anywhere. TD-LTE based chip sets are yet to be launched by any semiconductor firm, he said. Adding, if Qualcomm wins the bid, it may result in the hoarding of spectrum The 3G spectrum auction would start on April 9 and two days after it closes, the BWA auction would kick off. The department of telecommunications has fixed the last date on applications for the auction on March 19.
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