3G Auction Some After TalksLong waited India’s 1st 3G spectrum auction is over! Starting on 9 April it took 34 days. Govt-owned BSNL and MTNL are already offering 3G services over country. Now private operators also get licenses to offer high speed 3G services.

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Indian Government earned Rs 67,700 crore, double than they expected to get by selling 3G airwaves.Most important thing not a single operator did win pan-India 3G license, which may lead to network sharing over circles to circles.

But it is uncertain that dual technology operator Reliance and Tata will join such sharing or not.Airtel & Vodafone mostly come to as partner, and Idea may join them via their joint venture of tower sharing i.e. Indus Towers.

But even of this partnership between three operators can’t cover all circles with 3G connectivity – the trio will miss Orissa.Airtel’s wining of 3G license is quite unimpressive, they won license in Mumbai but not in Maharastra Goa, won license for West Bengal but not in Kolkata, where Airtel has 2nd largest operator. But they get to cover Delhi and UP West.

Vodafone won licenses in those circles where Vodafone has good presence, like Kolkata, West Bengal, or those circles generating high revenue like Delhi, Mumbai, Maharastra or Tamilnadu.

– figure made by Randeep using GIMP, an Open Source Program

Just added as a note, Airtel and Vodafone the sole official iPhone sellers in India can not cover whole India with 3G connectivity.

The costliest Delhi and Mumbai circles, where MTNL is already present, Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance will compete against MTNL in both circles. MTNL for just 2 circles will pay a high price.