2G Auction

'Spectrum auction ends; no bids for Mumbai, Maharashtra, UP East'

The government will get around Rs 3,639 crore from the 2G spectrum auction for CDMA services, which ended on Monday with Russian conglomerate Sistema's Indian unit SSTL being the only bidder. ...  

2G spectrum auction: SSTL puts in bids worth Rs 3,639 cr till 2nd round

The government has received bids worth Rs 3,639 crore from lone bidder Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL) till the second round of the 2G spectrum auction for CDMA services. Sources said bids were received for three blocks in each of eight circles, including Delhi. There was no bid for Mumbai, they added. ...  

2G: Raja unlikely to depose before JPC, say sources

Former telecom minister and a prime accused in the 2G spectrum scam case, A Raja will not be deposing in front of the Joint Parliamentary Committtee (JPC), sources said on Tuesday. ...  

Telecom firms not part of new 2G auction won't operate: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the telecom firms whose licences were cancelled and didn't participate in fresh auction for 2G spectrum will cease to operate forthwith. Sistema and Tata Tele were among those who did not bid in the auction. ...  

SC extends deadline for operators to continue 2G service

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed telecom operators whose licences were cancelled by its February 2, 2012 order to continue their services till February 4, 2013. An apex court bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice KS Radhakrishnan passed the order on a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) application seeking that the existing licence holders be allowed to continue operations till the auction scheduled for March 2013 was completed. ...  

2G report denial by ex-CAG officer: The big questions

New Delhi: The man who authored the CAG's report on 2G spectrum has now said that it is not his report, that it merely carried his signature. Speaking to CNN-IBN, ex-CAG audit officer RP Singh said that the audit was done without guidelines and was influenced by PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi. He further said that the loss figure mentioned in the report was presumptive and had been restored in...  

The Last Word: Has the govt been casual in its handling of the 2G auction?

Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal speaks about the recent 2G spectrum auction and the CAG's loss figure. ...

CAG should explain its 2G loss figure: Narayanasamy

Chennai: Keeping up the government's attack on the CAG, Union Minister V Narayanasamy on Friday said the top auditor owed an explanation on its estimated loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G spectrum allocation in the previous auction. "We have said that the calculation of CAG was wrong. Now it has been proved with the auction. The CAG should explain (it)," the Minister of State in PMO said. Narayanasamy...  

'Sensationalism killed' telecom sector: Kapil Sibal

New Delhi: Attributing "sensationalism" over the CAG's presumptive loss figure of Rs 1.76 lakh crore for the "killing" of the telecom sector, government on Friday said it plans to auction by March-end the circles that were not taken in the flopped sale of mobile phone spectrum this week. It also rejected Opposition allegations that government was celebrating the failure of the auction and said notwithstanding the poor response, it will...  

Failure of 2G auction shows economy's direction: Jaitley

Ahmedabad: Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitely on Friday said that failure of 2G auction was an indicator of how badly the economy was faring under the UPA government. "The failure of 2G auction shows mismanagement of telephone sector in 2012 and indicates in which direction this government has taken country's economy," Jaitley said. "Any responsible government should be worried about it, it should introspect, but UPA ministers...  

2G auction: UPA the first govt to celebrate defeat, says BJP

New Delhi: In a scathing attack on the government on the 2G spectrum auction issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said low bidding has vindicated the stand of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that not going for auctions in 2008 had led to a huge loss. It said the wrong policies of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government were to be blamed for low collections. "This must be...  

News 360: PM hosts dinner for UPA allies to ensure support for FDI in retail

The Samajwadi Party on Friday announced a list of 55 candidates for the Lok Sabha election. ...

The Last Word: Has 2G auction shown that CAG's estimate was wrong?

Has the recent allegedly flop 2G auction shown that the CAG's estimate for the presumptive loss in 2008 is mistaken? ...

Intend to have another 2G auction before March 2013: Sibal

New Delhi: After a dismal 2G spectrum auction, the government once again defended itself questioning the 2G scam loss figure quoted by CAG and also said that it intends to hold another auction before March 31, 2013. "The intent is to try and have another auction before 31st March. We will discuss how to move forward and take a call on it," Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said. As against...  

BJP blames UPA govt for low bidding at 2G auction

New Delhi: With less than estimated collections in the 2G spectrum auctions, the BJP on Thursday defended the CAG's submission that there was a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in the earlier allocations and said the UPA government's policies were responsible for the low bidding. "They (UPA government) first destroyed the telecom sector, a sector which is the real success story of economic liberalisation in India. First that success...  

Government attacks CAG after flop 2G spectrum auction

The government stressed that the result of the auction proved its argument that the CAG overestimated losses. ...

Govt gets only Rs 9,400 cr from 2G auction, Sibal defends poor response

New Delhi: Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Thursday defended the poor response to the 2G spectrum auction, saying the government was not there to score points. We are not here to score points. Our point always was that market dynamics should be allowed to play out. The moment you start dealing with market directly or indirectly then it will be bad, he said. He also added that the government should...  

2G auction: Govt will go back to TRAI and seek new direction

The auction of 2G spectrum has ended in a massive disappointment. The government has received bids less than Rs 10,000 crore, which is far below the reserve price of Rs 28,000 crore. The Centre had expected to earn nearly Rs 40,000 crore. ...

2G spectrum auction ends, govt gets one-third of target

New Delhi: The much talked about 2G mobile phone spectrum auction ended in a damp squib on Wednesday with half of the airwaves on offer remaining unsold and government getting just about one-third of the targeted revenue. According to preliminary estimates, the government received bids worth "much-less" than Rs 10,000 crore in an auction that ended in two days, a far cry from the 35-day bidding for the 3G spectrum...  

2G auction heads for a washout as govt falls Rs 30,000 cr short of target

New Delhi: The 2G auction by the government is headed for a washout. Even after the sixth round, the government is almost Rs 30,000 crore short of its budget target of Rs 40,000 crore. So far, the auction has mopped up only Rs 9,224 crore. The Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka circles found no bidders at all. The auction will now continue after Diwali. The bidding comes after the Supreme Court cancelled...