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India's 3G spectrum auction raises $14.6 billion
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India's 3G spectrum auction raises $14.6 billion
By ERIKA KINETZ,AP Business Writer -
2 hours 17 minutes ago
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MUMBAI, India – A fierce auction for 3G cell phone spectrum in India ended Wednesday, generating $14.6 billion for the government, the Department of Telecommunications said.
The government had expected to get less than 350 billion rupees ($7.5 billion) but over 34 days of bidding, the amount rose to 509.7 billion rupees ($11 billion), according to bid prices listed on the Department of Telecommunications' website.
Two state owned companies, which were given advance spectrum, must also match the winning bid prices, making the total government take 677 billion rupees ($14.6 billion).
The government could use that unexpected windfall to trim its swollen fiscal deficit.
"Of course, getting extra money from the 3G auction will provide a little more elbow room and fiscal space for me to manage financial matters," Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.
Whether India's winning telecom companies will make out as well remains to be seen, analysts say.
None of the seven winning operators will have a nationwide presence. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and Aircel each won bids in 13 of 22 areas, more than any other company. Vodafone bought into nine areas.
Market leaders Bharti, Vodafone and Reliance Communications paid dearly for spectrum in the key markets of Mumbai and New Delhi, but will need to tie up with smaller players to provide nationwide coverage for their 3G customers.
The three winning bidders for New Delhi spectrum each paid 33.2 billion rupees ($715.5 million), while Mumbai's three winners paid 32.5 billion rupees ($700.4 million).
The auction hit in the middle of a brutal cellular price war in India, and paying for spectrum will hit already eroding margins.
India's mobile market is far from mature, adding 20 million users a month, many of them in rural villages where they have little use for the fancy data services, video calls and high-tech graphic applications that 3G makes possible.
Sandeep Ladda, an executive director at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Mumbai, said what many operators really wanted was not the 3G license, but the additional spectrum to serve India's fast-growing customer base.
"You're adding 20 million customers a month, which is phenomenal by any standard. That's going to go on for two or three years," he said. "I'm not going to provide 3G in every village and town. My interest is in providing basic services, like voice, in areas where I'm adding customers."
He said it could take five years before operators recoup their bids.
A separate auction for broadband wireless spectrum is expected to start soon.
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