India could have the LTE based broadband services as early as next year.

India could have the LTE based broadband services as early as next year.  According to the Hindu Business Line, Chip-maker Qualcomm is planning to bid for broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, to be auctioned later this year, to introduce Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology-based services.

Paper further states tha the US-based firm has approached a number of Indian operators exploring the possibility of forming a consortium for the bidding. One of the operators confirmed that a high-level team from Qualcomm’s headquarters is already in Mumbai to work out a strategy.

If Qualcomm wins the auction, India may see the introduction of 4G services by next year – around the same time as other countries will have it.

Qualcomm’s move will also open a new front in the battle between WiMax and LTE. Though the Government has adopted a technology-neutral stance on using BWA spectrum, it was believed that this will be mostly used for WiMax technology.