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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug 11 The Department of Telecom on Monday said it would finalise the modalities of auctioning third generation mobile spectrum by September 30. This will include appointing an independent agency to conduct the online auction and also bring clarity on the quantum of spectrum available in each circle.

The Communication Ministry, had last week, said the process will be completed in another 4-5 months time.

Short for third generation, this technology marks a quantum jump in mobile services. 3G services are expected to facilitate higher speeds and data throughputs. 3G allows telecom operators to offer new services such as music video downloads, low cost voice calls and wireless broadband access to laptops. While GSM-based cellular operators will use WCDMA technology, CDMA operators will offer 3G services using EVDO.

In India, 3G technology can play a dual role. In urban India, there is a spectrum crunch and 3G can treble voice capacity and can solve the spectrum issue. For rural India, 3G will be a boon for e-governance and specific applications for farmers, fishermen and small traders. The Government had announced that between 5 and 10 operators would be permitted in each circle depending on the amount of spectrum available. The national exchequer is expected to get as much as Rs 30,000 crore from the auction.

DoT will also start the process for implementing mobile number portability in a week’s time. This facility will allow subscribers to change their operator without having to change their phone numbers. According to the recommendations given by the telecom regulator, two companies will be given the mandate to roll out the system. “In a week’s time, preliminary procedure for MNP seeking request for proposal from vendors will be out,” said Mr Siddharth Behura, Secretary, DoT, at the sidelines of an event organised by the newly formed Other Service Providers’s Industry Association.

More Stories on : Telecommunications | Regulatory Bodies & Rulings

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