India telco regulator sticks to controversial auction plans

India's telecoms regulator on Sunday reaffirmed most of its proposed rules for an auction of mobile airwaves, including a steep base price for bids, despite howls of protests by carriers in the world's ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Telecom Commission will ask the sector regulator to analyse the potential impact of a proposed airwaves auction base price that is seen as too high and has drawn protests from carriers. The Commission however endorsed a separate regulatory proposal to auction by June next year airwaves in another band, Telecoms Secretary R.Chandrashekhar said on Saturday. That band currently used by older operators and will be taken back from them in the so-called airwave refarming. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Telecom Commission will ask the sector regulator to analyse the potential impact of a proposed airwaves auction base price that is seen as too high and has drawn protests from carriers.

Just weeks after defending a deal to grant a 10-year lease extension of TTC newsstands and retail outlets without looking at alternative bids, commission chairwoman Karen Stintz now says she endorses a competitive bidding process to award the lucrative contract. Her endorsement comes after an independent report requested by the TTC recommended that the commission consider other proposals for the multi-million dollar deal to run Toronto’s subway newsstands.