TOI

New Delhi, Aug 2: The government on Friday unveiled its plan to take India’s mobile revolution to the next technological level by opening third generation (3G) spectrum auctions to global players. It also announced the first step towards number portability, a major consumer-friendly move that allows users to switch their mobile operators without losing their numbers.

3G represents the next step in the evolution of mobile telephony, offering markedly greater capacity and efficiency than the current 2G systems. While 2G is focused on voice, 3G supports high-speed data of at least 144 kbps enabling broadband internet access on the mobile, and ‘‘triple play’’ features like mobile TV and converged communication services.

This auction will probably be the last spectrum auction in decades and could contribute as much as $5 billion-$7 billion to the exchequer — a huge benefit in the season of soaring global oil prices, huge subsidy payouts, 12% inflation and slowing growth.

The government also took a definitive step towards the introduction of mobile number portability (MNP) by announcing guidelines for an MNP service licence. MNP allows subscribers to retain their mobile number while migrating to a different service provider. When implemented, this will allow consumers more choice, lower prices and significantly better quality of service.

MNP can be expected in metros towards the end of FY 2007-08. Consumers will be able to switch their operator within two days of making a request to their existing service provider. The 3G auction may also bring new, global competition to the telecom sector.