A pan-India licence bid for the 3G spectrum touched Rs 16,164 crore today, on the 32nd day of the auctions, amid indications that it may end in the next two days as there is excess demand only in four circles.
At this price, the government is assured of Rs 65,311 crore in revenues from the sale of third generation radio waves alone, against an estimated Rs 35,000 crore for 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA) together.
Among individual circles, Delhi saw the highest bid of Rs 3,155.97 crore, followed by Mumbai at Rs 3,089.50 crore.
The reserve price for pan-India spectrum was Rs 3,500 crore.
With excess demand for spectrum only in a few circles such as Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab and Bihar, the auction may end in the next two days, sources in the Department of Telecom (DoT) said.
Nine leading mobile operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, RCom and the Tatas, are up against one another to grab spectrum.
The government is selling three blocks of spectrum in most states and four slots in Punjab, Bihar, Orissa, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
