Foreign telecom firms who win third-generation radio waves in an auction due next month will also be kept in the queue for second-generation spectrum, a senior government official said on Tuesday. "For a new entrant in 3G who has obtained a licence..it will be in the queue for 2G spectrum," R Ashok, member (finance) in India's telecom commission, the apex government body for the sector, told operators at a pre-bid conference. India will conduct a global auction for 3G wireless spectrum starting Jan. 16 and has set a base price of 20.20 billion rupees ($417 million) for spectrum in all the service areas. Firms interested to participate in the auction process are required to submit applications between Dec. 26 and Jan. 5.
