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.