After winning 4 circles in India’s BWA auction, Qualcomm is looking for 3G partners to deploy LTE.
After winning 4 circles in India’s BWA auction, Qualcomm is looking for 3G partners to deploy LTE.
“We are looking for partners among the firms that won third-generation spectrum,†said Kanwalinder Singh, president of Qualcomm’s Indian and South Asian operations, adding that a partner will be announced in a month.
“Our bidding objective was to secure an enabling role in the continued success of Indian operators with 3G and beyond, and we are extremely gratified we met that objective. With its ecosystem partners, Qualcomm will now foster the deployment of LTE, so Indian consumers can enjoy the benefits of 3G now and 3G plus LTE in the future.†said Kanwalinder Singh.
Qualcomm’s goal is to attract one or more experienced 3G HSPA and/or EVDO operator partners into the venture for construction of an LTE network in compliance with the Indian Government’s rollout requirement for the BWA spectrum.
Qualcomm has won BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) – unpaired spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band – in four telecom circles in India. Qualcomm was one of 11 bidders participating in the BWA auction and has won one, 20 MHz slot of spectrum in the circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala. Qualcomm’s final bid was INR 4912.54 Crore or approximately 1.045 Billion USD .
The Government of India formally approved results of the BWA auction on Jun 12, 2010. Qualcomm will soon announce its Indian partners in compliance with the applicable Indian Foreign Direct Investment regulations.
LTE is best suited to address the demand for high-bandwidth mobile broadband services in India’s 2.3 GHz band and can seamlessly interwork with current and future 3G HSPA and EV-DO networks. Qualcomm offers the industry’s first 3G/LTE multi-mode chipsets, which will enable a seamless mobile broadband experience for consumers while roaming within India or globally through the use of integrated multi-mode devices