Qualcomm is planning to bid for radio spectrum in India to provide wireless broadband services using TD-LTE technology.
This is not the first time the semiconductor technology company has taken part in spectrum auctions, which it sees as supporting the commercialisation of new wireless technologies.
In 2008, Qualcomm paid £8m for 40MHz (1452-1492MHz) of L-Band radio spectrum in the UK.
This was for a trial of its MediaFlo mobile TV technology.
Qualcomm also uses the 700MHz band in the US for MediaFlo.
In this case it is TD-LTE, which is a broadband standard that is compatible with 3G WCDMA/HSPA and EV-DO.
“In India’s unpaired 2.3GHz spectrum band, TD-LTE is the technology best suited to complement current and upcoming 3G deployments and address India’s rapidly growing demand for high bandwidth broadband services,” said Qualcomm.
The Indian Government plans to auction for BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) spectrum in the 2.3GHz band.
If successful in winning spectrum, Qualcomm intends to secure Indian partners after completion of the auction and in compliance with the applicable Indian Foreign Direct Investment regulations.
See: It's a long road to 4G mobile rollout