3G aution guidelines to be issued next week: Govt

The Telecom Minister A Raja said that the guidelines for 3G auctions will be issued next week. As reported by CNBC-TV18 last week, it is the Prime Minister who will take the final call on whether foreign players can participate in the auction.

A Raja said that he will meet the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister early next week and then finalise the guidelines. The Department of Telecom, or DoT, is batting for a global auction and wants the minimum bid to be raised to Rs 2,200 crore as against Rs 1,400 crore recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, or TRAI.

A Raja, Communications & IT Minister, said, "I need some consultation with the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister, since the Finance Ministry is going to represent the Telecom Commission. Ultimately, all the efforts will be placed before the Telecom Commision."