Guj pips Delhi in 3G bid value

Gujarat pipped Delhi on the fourth day of auction of third generation (3G) spectrum to become the most valuable telecom circle. The highest bid reached Rs 459.52 crore in Gujarat, ahead of Delhi’s Rs 437.65 crore.

Yesterday, Gujarat, with a highest bid of Rs 416.42 crore, was just a tad behind Delhi, with a bid of Rs 416.43 crore.

With a base price of Rs 320 crore, the bids in Gujarat were up by 43.6 per cent on the fourth day. While Delhi’s highest bid was up by 36.76 per cent from the base price of Rs 320 crore.

The bid for a pan-India licence reached Rs 4,582.52 crore, up 30.9 per cent from the fixed base price of Rs 3,500 crore. A total of 22 rounds have been completed in four days of bidding for 3G, which started on April 9 and is expected to coclude in one to two weeks.

The auction would resume on Thursday, as tomorrow is a holiday.

However, the demand for 3G in Category C circles did not pick up even on the fourth day. Orissa, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir circles have still seen no bidders. Orissa and Assam have three 3G slots, while Jammu & Kashmir has four.

Six existing major telecom service providers — Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Idea, Tata Tele and Aircel — are vying with each other to get 3G spectrum in all the 22 circles.

So far, spectrum had been given bundled with the Unified Access Service Licence, priced at Rs 1,650 crore. The government has already said it expected to earn Rs 35,000-45,000 crore from the 3G and broadband wireless access auctions. Telecom PSUs Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd were given 3G spectrum ahead of private companies and have already launched their 3G mobile services. But, they would have to match the highest auction bid.