3G Services Will Be Delayed Until 2008

It looks like 3G services will not be launched in India until 2008. Because the defence ministry is likely to vacate spectrum only by end of the year, and by the time operators kick off 3G services it will be mid-2008. The Department of Telecom has written a note to the Group of Ministers on telecom asking the latter to get the defence ministry to vacate spectrum for 3G services within 2007, reports The Economic Times.
The defence ministry needs to release 45 Mhz of spectrum (20 Mhz for 2G and 25 Mhz for 3G). According to earlier plan, the ministry was to release the spectrum in 2006, which has got postponed to March 2007. The delay is on account of the non-completion of the alternative communications project for the dfence ministry.
Related to this is the government’s 3G spectrum policy, which is expected by March this year. This will provide the methodology for allocation and pricing of spectrum. this resource.

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