3G Delays in India March 6, 2009
Posted by chetan in : US Wireless Market , trackbackIndia is doing a China when it comes to 3G. Government can’t get its act together and get the license auction scheduled. It has been postponed for the umpteenth time. Not that market is dying for 3G, but some of the operators need more capacity in certain zones + the whole market is in a state of limbo. With the general election looming in April/May, it is quite likely that the auction will pushed to mid-year and the actual network deployment well into 2010. Infrastructure providers who have been counting on some of the really lucrative contracts will have to ride this out.
After, many years of delay, China finally got the spectrum thing in place and how the three operators will roll out 3G. India will lag behind China in 3G penetration for several years.
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I would not be surprised if the auction gets delayed till 2010. The problem is not just spectrum….first they had to deal with the security agencies and the Ministry of Defense to unlock the spectrum, then the cribbing and bitching by COAI and GSM associations, then both wanted to prevent first time entrants from providing 3G services, and now the elections….god alone knows whats in store after the new government in place - a shuffle in TRAI and a policy review??? Meanwhile they plan to move to 4G in the US, atleast on paper!!!