Struggling Indian state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL will not participate in the upcoming 2G and 3G spectrum auction, according to their chairmen and managing directors.
BSNL’s Anupam Srivatava and MTNL’s P K Purwar told Indian news agency PTI that…
Struggling Indian state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL will not participate in the upcoming 2G and 3G spectrum auction, according to their chairmen and managing directors.
BSNL’s Anupam Srivatava and MTNL’s P K Purwar told Indian news agency PTI that their companies would not take part, with the former saying there is no need for additional spectrum at present.
Neither BSNL nor MTNL was immediately available for comment.
The two telcos have not participated in the past three auctions, held in November 2012, March 2013 and February 2014.
Bidders for the upcoming auction, set to begin on 4 March, have until 16 February to apply to take part.
Several options have been considered to revive BSNL and MTNL, which are struggling to compete in India’s crowded mobile market, including a merger and tower sales.
However, telecoms minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was cited in January as saying the government would work to rebuild the two New Delhi-based companies separately.
