3G Auction...All-India price at Rs113.27bn

The Government is all set to pocket a cool Rs500bn from the auction of third-generation (3G) mobile spectrum if one includes the matching bids from state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL). At Thursday's close, the Centre is expected to garner about Rs456.90bn from 3G auction alone as against projection of Rs350bn from the combined 3G-BWA auction. So, quite clearly, the final figure from the 3G-BWA auction process could well be somewhere around Rs600bn. "The revenue from 3G auction alone may cross Rs400bn. Revenues from 3G and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum put together may touch Rs500-550bn," Telecom Minister A Raja was quoted as saying last week.

Meanwhile, bids for one set of pan-India 3G mobile licences reached Rs113.27bn, more than double the base price of Rs35bn, on the 23rd day of the auction. As per the details given by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), four more Clock Rounds were completed on Thursday. With this, the total number of Clock Rounds completed to date has come to 132. The 3G auction started on April 9. BWA bidding will start two days after the 3G auction concludes.

Proceeds from the two auctions would help the Government bridge the fiscal deficit. India's fiscal deficit may come down to 5.2% of GDP from the estimated 5.5% of GDP. The Government has pegged the fiscal deficit at Rs3.81 lakh crores for FY11. Mumbai and Delhi continued to be among the most sought-after circles with highest bids of Rs19.87bn and Rs19.20bn, respectively. The reserve price for both the Mega Metro circles is Rs3.2bn. Maharashtra's bid stood at Rs10.62bn while that for Andhra Pradesh was at Rs9.79bn, and Gujarat at Rs9.45bn.

According to the DoT, the bidding activity requirement was set at 100% on Thursday. The 3G auction would continue till the available number of slots is equal to number of bidders in all 22 circles simultaneously. Out of a total of 22 circles for the 3G spectrum, 17 have three slots, while in rest of the five circles, four blocks of spectrum are available. The successful bidders would be allotted air waves in September after the spectrum is vacated by the defence forces. The BWA auction is also expected to be equally competitive, as 11 players are in the fray for just two slots for each circle, while the reserve price for pan-India licence is Rs17.5bn.