FASTTAKES: DoT, SK Telecom, TOT, Google

India’s Department of Telecommunications has announced a new 3G auction start date: April 9. Three slots will be auctioned. The DOT will issue Notices Inviting Applications (NIA) tomorrow.

 

SK Telecom will introduce per-second billing starting May 1. The government is urging operators to cull tariffs. The move will result in average monthly tariffs falling from 700 won ($0.60) and 800 won.

 

Thailand’s NTC has warned TOT to complete the second phase rollout of its 3G service by August, or risk losing its 1900Mhz spectrum, according to the Bangkok Post. Phase two rollout entails the deployment of 3,800 base stations.

An Italian court has convicted three Google executives on privacy violations over the posting of a YouTube video – the first case to hold the company responsible for the content posted on its system.

 

Two US law firms have filed a class-action lawsuit against online review site Yelp, accusing it of running an “extortion scheme”. The suit alleges Yelp offered to take down a negative review in return for a monthly payment.