Bharti Cellular Limited (A)

Abstract

The case focuses on the bidding decision faced by Bharti Cellular Limited in the context of the fourth cellular licensing for cellular services in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DOT) announced the guidelines for the fourth cellular operator’s license using the GSM standard in the 1800 MHz range, on January 5, 2001. There were 24 licenses or 21 service areas. The bidding process was designed as a three stage process. On January 25, 2001, the DOT issued the guidelines for fixed line services, which included the right to offer limited mobility using WLL with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) standard in both the 800-900 and 1800-1900 MHz range. This had implications for the bidding strategy.