India 3G spectrum auction in December

NEW DELHI, INDIA: India will start auctioning third-generation wireless spectrum from Dec. 7, the government said in a notice on a telecoms department website.

Firms interested in participating in the auction have to apply by Nov. 13, the notice on the Department of Telecommunications' website said.

The auction, which will introduce high-speed Internet and video downloads on mobile phones, was originally planned for January 2009 but was delayed after the finance ministry wanted the reserve price to be doubled.

Last month, the base price for pan-India 3G spectrum was revised by a ministerial panel to 35 billion rupees ($722 million) from 20.20 billion rupees.