Delhi HC refuses to stay the auction of 3G spectrum

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay the auction of 3G spectrum which starts from Friday and dismissed a petition challenging the process saying objections raised against it were "misconceived".

The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay the auction of 3G spectrum which starts from Friday and dismissed a petition challenging the process saying objections raised against it were "misconceived".

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A bench headed by acting Chief Justice Madan B Lokur rejected the objections raised by an NGO regarding auctioning of 3G spectrum.

Nine telecom companies are in the final list of bidders for three-four slots of 5MHz of 3G spectrum while there are 11 bidders for two slots of broadband wireless access (BWA).

Winners will be able to offer customers high-speed voice and data transfer and multimedia services.

The NGO, Society for Awareness and Development, said in its plea that government did not follow the guidelines of the regulatory body TRAI and only existing players participated in the process.

The government, on the other hand, contended that the petition was filed with the sole purpose for halting the auction and there were some vested interests behind the filing of the petition.