Daily News Mail

3G auction: Cabinet nod for Rs. 3,705 cr. as base price

• The Cabinet has decided on a reserve price of Rs. 3,705 crore per MHz for the 2100 MHz band for the spectrum auctions, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on 28th January.
• The Minister said the government had decided to accept the Telecom Commission’s recommendation to price the 3G spectrum at that price for the March 4 auction. The base price suggested by the Commission is around 11 per cent higher than what telecom firms paid for in the 2010 sale. It is also 36 per cent higher than Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s recommendation.
• “There is no spectrum deficit in the country. What is available is being released. The government believes it is adequate. When more is needed it will be released and auctioned. At the reserve price for the amount of spectrum being auctioned should fetch the government at least Rs. 80,000 crore.”

What is 3G ?

3G, short form of third generation, is the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology. This is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV.

3G telecommunication networks support services that provide an information transfer rate of at least 200 kbit/s. Later 3G releases, often denoted 3.5G and 3.75G, also provide mobile broadband access of several Mbit/s to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. This ensures it can be applied to wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV technologies.

A new generation of cellular standards has appeared approximately every tenth year since 1G systems were introduced in 1981/1982. Each generation is characterized by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non–backward-compatible transmission technology. The first 3G networks were introduced in 1998 and fourth generation "4G" networks in 2008.

3G Bands in India

2G capabilities - GSM 900, GSM 1800

3G capabilities - UMTS 2100

4G capabilities - LTE 2300

Jaishankar is Foreign Secretary

• In a surprise move, the government has appointed S. Jaishankar as the new Foreign Secretary, replacing Sujatha Singh about seven months before her tenure comes to an end.
• Sources say Mr. Jaishankar has been chosen for his role in rebuilding Indo-U.S. ties after the Devyani Khobragade incident, capped by the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Delhi this week.
• Senior officials told that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been impressed by Mr. Jaishankar’s handling of his visit to the U.S. in September and had been keen to retain him. He was due to retire on January 31, which pushed the timing of the decision.