US chip giant Qualcomm is reportedly looking for a partner in India to bid for spectrum suitable for LTE services, reports the Hindu Business Line. According to industry sources, 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. It is thought to be looking at bidding for bandwidth in the forthcoming auctions for broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum, which is being sold off alongside new 3G spectrum. If it is successful, sources say Qualcomm could introduce LTE services in India by next year, bringing India in line with other rollouts of the new mobile network standard around the world. Qualcomm declined to comment.

India’s long–awaited 3G auctions are due to begin next month and are tipped to net the Indian government about INR250 billion (US$5.3 billion). Last month, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said it has begun consultations on migration towards so-called next-generation technologies such as LTE in the hope of avoiding the delays that have afflicted the country’s rollout of 3G. However, a government official noted this week that India has no immediate plans to introduce LTE. The BWA spectrum is also suitable for WiMAX services and the Hindu Business Line notes that “Qualcomm’s bid could also instigate a more aggressive push from Intel, which is keen to see WiMAX thrive in the Indian market.”