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The deadline has passed for bid applications for India's much delayed 3G and broadband wireless auctions, which start next month. Nine companies, all existing cellcos in India, will take part in the race for three 3G licenses, while 11 have applied to compete for two BWA slots in 2.3GHz. State-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL are already guaranteed spectrum in both bands, and will pay for it according to the price levels set at the auctions.

The 2.3GHz sale is shaping up to be the more interesting in terms of the participants, and of the long term impact on the Indian economy - the band is important to improving the country's lamentable broadband penetration rates, seen as a serious brake on its ambitious economic expansion and social justice programs. Until last week WiMAX was expected to have a clear run, since commercial technology is already available and has been extensively tested in India (and deployed for real by the state operators). But Qualcomm put a cat among the pigeons by deciding to lead a bidding consortium, which would, if successful, deploy TD-LTE.

This move by Qualcomm to weaken WiMAX, a technology it has always fought against, led many to believe WiMAX cheerleader Intel would enter the bidding race, as it has done in some other auctions, such as Sweden's for 2.6GHz TDD spectrum. The chip giant is not leading a group in its own right, but may get involved indirectly, by supporting bidders in financial or equipment terms. Intel may have felt that there was no need to bid directly, given that all the contenders except Qualcomm are still likely to favor WiMAX over TD-LTE.

One firm in an interesting position is KDDI of Japan, which told Dow Jones it could look to be involved in the Indian BWA market through partnering with a winner, even though it is not bidding directly. KDDI has already made significant investment in WiMAX-based mobile broadband through the UQ Communications joint venture, in which it is the largest shareholder, and which owns a national 2.5GHz license in Japan (Intel is also a stakeholder). However, KDDI is also planning to support LTE in future.

KDDI's stance will not be unique. Other international WiMAX players may have steered clear of direct bids for spectrum, preferring to see which companies win and then partner with them to help accelerate build-out and share in the spoils. Clearwire has often spoken of Indian alliances, for instance. This is where Intel could become influential without actually funding spectrum bids, for instance if UQ or Clearwire take a post-auction position in India (Intel invests in both).

Apart from Qualcomm, several BWA bidders are looking to win spectrum in both 3G and 4G bands and support a multimode approach to mobile broadband and fixed/mobile services. These contenders are Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, IDEA and Aircel, which would then pursue a similar strategy to that of Sprint or KDDI, using 3G for wide area coverage and voice, and WiMAX for heavy duty data services, hotzones and fixed access. Also in the running are Tata Communications, a sister company to 3G bidder Tata TeleServices; and several wireless ISPs - Infotel Broadband, Spice Internet, Tikona Digital Networks, and Mauritius-based Augere. Augere is an interesting candidate. It was founded last year by former Orange CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, and France Telecom - one of the most active of the major carriers in using WiMAX to penetrate new markets - has a 22% share. It has already launched services in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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