Communication minister A. Raja promises lowest possible telephone tariffs, 3G auction and reach every Indian by next year

NEW DELHI - Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, A Raja has said that the prospects of the further lowering of telephone tariff in India are imminent in the future. He said this while assuming his charge of the ministry here on Monday. He also said that as a result of a drastic tariff cut, the telecommunication facility will be available to people living in the lowest edge of the social strata.

“In the telecom side already we brought healthy competition. More operators were permitted as per the TRAI recommendations. I do believe once the new operators start their operations the tariff will drastically come down and the telecommunication facility will be available to persons living in the lowest edge of the social strata,” he added.

He also said that India would auction third-generation wireless radio (3G) spectrum by the end of this year.

Raja declined to say how much the government expected to mobilise through the sale.

India was to auction the 3G telecommunications spectrum in January, but the sale was delayed.

The telecommunication ministry had earlier expected the auction to raise 300 to 400 billion rupees but the Ministry of Finance in February estimated the sale could bring just half of that.

Third-generation services allow voice, data and video to be transmitted at high speeds to wireless devices, and are seen as the next growth driver for telecom firms in India. (ANI)