Raja expects minimum Rs 25,000 cr from 3G, BWA spectrum bids

Telecom Minister A Raja today said he expects revenue of at least Rs 25,000 crore from the auction of radio waves for third generation (3G) mobile, broadband and wireless services.

Raja, who met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, said his department had assured the government of an early service rollout.

"In connection with the 3G and WiMAX auctions, we assured (the Finance Minister) of an early rollout, an early auction and more revenue for the government,"  Raja told reporters after meeting Mukherjee earlier today.

Raja's estimate is lower than what (Rs 30,000 crore) the government had forecast last year when the 3G auction process was announced.

Raja meets Mukherjee again in the evening seeking clarity on the number of licences to be auctioned and the reserve price to be set. DoT officials will also be there to discuss the issue with their counterparts in the Finance Ministry.

DoT plans to auction frequency for 20 of India's 22 telecom service areas. The exercise has been delayed after the Finance Ministry suggested that the starting auction price of Rs 2,020 crore be doubled.