India's department of telecom (DoT) has finally set the deadline for the nation's 3G auctions, naming the December 7 as the opening date.
The DoT has also decreed that the Wimax and EVDO auctions will commence two days after bidding for 3G closes.
Operators now have until November 13 to submit applications to take part in the auctions, and will be informed of their eligibility by November 27.
Winners will have five days following the closure of the relevant auction to submit a deposit, and fifteen days to pay the remaining bill, the department said.
Late last month the government set the floor price for its 3G auctions at 35 billion rupees ($723.27 billion), and the Wimax floor price at 17.50 billion rupees.
The government expects to reap at least 250 billion rupees from the auctions, India's telecom minister has revealed.
Only five players will be granted 3G licenses in each of India's telecom circles, of which one spot has been reserved for either BSNL or MTNL. Both these state-owned operators have already been allocated 3G spectrum. In return, they have agreed to match the maximum winning bid.