I wrote first time on 3G in Aug-08 when I was writing blogs for SiliconIndia. It was just the beginning of new Telecom Era in India. Subsequently, before I jumped on to start Telecomblogs, I continued to write on 3G, WiMAX & related topics. I was really excited to find out why would someone needs 3G aka NGN (Read: Next Gen) technologies. But my enthusiasm started waning after repeated postponing of 3G auctions. In last two years, it was almost gone and I almost lost track of the process.
But now when 3G spectrum auction is just few hours away, I have decided to talk about it- rather reluctantly. Last month when we saw launch of 8 smartphones in 10 days (Including Apple’s coveted iPhone 3GS launching news), I had little doubt that business goes in sync with public policy making. Auction process is going well, as mock auctions were conducted successfully by DoT on 6th. But Reliance is bit skeptical about Data case and rolling out 3G outside metro circles. Certainly, it’s not easy to roll out 3G services, particularly in non-urban areas. We will have to see how things unfold in coming months, when auction winners will actually start rolling out services. As I repeatedly mentioned, every technology forms separate business case and we will have to have our know assessments done before we jump in.
For those of you, who are interested in knowing more about 3G auctions and how they are carried out, you can check this Livemint article. Will Telcos end up paying more for auctions? Will Telcos be able to roll out cheaper services? What will happen when MNP will go live? I think we will have to wait for some more time to find out answers to these. I waited for the day for quite long time. Hope! This time we will make it to 3G!
