NEW DELHI: The Government today approved the results of the BWA spectrum auction, according to which the Government will earn revenues of Rs 385.43 billion.

After considering the provisional results, the Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary said the price per block of pan –India spectrum of 20 MHz is Rs 128.47 billion.
  
All the winning bidders including Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Linited are required to pay the amount by 22 June.

The e-Auction for allocation of BWA Spectrum began on 24 May and closed on 11 June after 16 days and 117 rounds of bidding. The base price for BWA had been fixed at Rs 17.5 billion.

Communications and Information Technology Ministry sources said the total revenue has been worked out at over Rs 385 billion as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, which have already been issued licences for BWA services, will also have to pay this winner‘s price.
 
While Infotel Broadband Services Private Limited, which was yesterday taken over by the Mukesh Ambani Reliance Group for Rs 48 billion to mark his entry into the telecom sector, won a bid in all the 22 service centres, Aircel won the bid in eight centres; Tikona Digital Networks Private Limited in five centres; Bharti Airtel and Qualcomm Incorporated in four centres each; and Augere (Mauritius) Limited at one centre.

Reliance WiMax Limited, Spice Internet Service Provider Private Limited, Tata Communications Internet Services Limited, and Vodafone Essar Limited opted out of the auction.

Mumbai had the highest bid of Rs 22.93 billion with Delhi at Rs 22.41 billion, in both cases from Infotel and Qualcomm. The frequencies allocated are in the range of 2305.0 - 2325.0, and 2327.5 - 2347.5 MHz.

Tamil Nadu came next with Rs 20.69 billion, followed by Karnataka at Rs 15.43 billion and Andhra Pradesh at Rs 10.59 billion. The North-East and Jammu and Kashmir had the lowest bid at Rs 212.7 million each.