NEW DELHI, Dec 28 (Reuters) - India's planned mobile phonespectrum auction will start on Feb. 3, the government said onSaturday, delaying the bidding by 10 days from the originalschedule.
The telecommunications ministry will auction airwaves in the900 and 1800 megahertz frequency bands in the auction, which iscrucial for leading carriers Bharti Airtel Ltd andVodafone Group Plc's local unit to renew their permitsin some key cities.
The government did not give a reason for the delay in arevised auction schedule posted on the telecommunicationsministry's website, but it has yet to take a decision on achange recommended by the sector regulator in the annual feecarriers pay for using spectrum.
Carriers had urged the government to decide the annualspectrum fee before the start of the auction.
The government aims to raise about 110 billion rupees ($1.8billion) from the auction. Prospective bidders will have tosubmit applications by Jan. 15 to participate in the auction,according to the new schedule.
Vodafone (VOD)