Orascom Telecom Holding (ORTE.CA) announced on Monday that its Bangladesh-based affiliate Banglalink was among the winners of the long-awaited auction for the 3G (third generation). Four telecom operators of the country acquired 25 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum Sunday when the long-awaited auction for 3G (third generation) was held in the capital. In the first phase of the auction, market leader Grameenphone acquired 10 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum at the price of $210 million. In the second phase, Orascom Telecom's Banglalink, Robi and Airtel each acquired 5 MHz of spectrum at a price of $105 million. However, none of the operators placed any bid in the third and final phase of the auction. 3G, short for third generation of mobile telecommunication technology, allows high-speed internet access and video telephony from one's handset.3G The auction, divided into three phases. The government has reserved a total of 40 MHz of spectrum from the 2,100 MHz band for the auction. The bid for each MHz of spectrum started at Tk 155 crore, with the four private mobile operators — Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel — having the option to acquire spectrum in chunks of 5, 10 or 15 MHz. Citycell, the oldest operator, is sitting out of the auction due to failure to gather the necessary funds. The state-owned Teletalk, which has already been running 3G services, will pay for its allocation once the final price of per MHz of spectrum is determined at the auction. The four operators are aiming to roll-out the service by year-end.
