WiMAX bidding likely to be over by Jan

Hyderabad: The Union Government expects to complete the process of bidding for broadband spectrum based on WiMAX technology by January next year. The Government also expects to open the auction for 3G spectrum in December.

“We have already allotted 3G spectrum to both BSNL and MTNL with a view to ensuring early roll out. While MTNL is expected to roll out 3G services by mid-December, BSNL is scheduled to do the same by January-end or February,” Mr A. Raja, Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said while addressing a press conference.

Mr Raja, who was in the city to inaugurate the four-day Internet Governance Forum (IGF), also said that wherever the 3G spectrum was available, there would be three or four slots that will be auctioned to the private players.

“We have also got to know that the existing private operators have got their infrastructure ready to launch 3G services and will do so once we give them the allocation through the auction route,” Mr Raja said.

The department, he said, will also seek an extension to the STPI sunset clause and put the same in the Vote-on Account Budget.

He said that the Government through the National e-Governance Plan will be investing around Rs 25,000 crore in the next five years to make available all Government services to the citizens through Common Service Centres (CSCs).

“Under the plan, one lakh village Internet kiosks or CSCs will be set up that will provide access to six lakh villages. Presently, over 20,000 such centres are already in place and we expect the rest of them to be operational by second half of 2009,” Mr Raja said.

Mr Nitin Desai, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that some of the challenges that IGF has identified includes multi-lingualism, cost of Internet access and questions relating to infrastructure.