Operators want 3G spectrum auctions deferred: Government

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) Telecom operators have requested the government to defer the upcoming third generation (3G) radio frequency auctions, according to a senior official.

'Quite a few operators have asked us to postpone the spectrum auction due to holidays,' telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura told reporters here on the sidelines of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (Ficci) Telecom Summit 2008.

Earlier, telecom operator Vodafone had requested the Department of Telecom (DoT) for postponing of the 3G auctions.

Behura said the e-auction of 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA) will take place Jan 15 instead of Jan 9 as reported.

'The pre-bid conference should happen on Dec 23 and the information memorandum will be out today (Friday),' Behura said.

He also said the policy guidelines for mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) will be out in next two-three months.

A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a company that provides mobile phone service but does not have its own licenced frequency allocation of radio spectrum, nor does it necessarily have the entire infrastructure required to provide mobile telephone service.