India Telecom Min: Expect To Launch 3G Services By 2nd Half Of 2007

NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- India expects to launch third-generation, or 3G, services by the second half of 2007, the country's Communications and Information Technology minister said Wednesday.

"The process for introducing 3G service has already been initiated in India, and it is expected that we should be able to launch 3G services by the latter half of 2007," Dayanidhi Maran said at an industry conference.

Maran said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is preparing the final recommendations for allowing 3G services in the country.

He also said the government is working with the Indian defense forces for the release of spectrum that can be allocated to mobile phone operators, which will offer the 3G services.

Maran said the total telephone subscriber base in the country is currently over 165 million, including 120 million mobile connections.

"We have set ourselves a target of 250 million phones by December 2007 and 500 million by 2010," he said.

-By Santanu Choudhury, Dow Jones Newswires; 91-11-23074020; santanu.choudhury@dowjones.com

-Edited by Rosalyn Lim

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 27th September 2006