Broadband India Forum (BIF) has welcomed the government’s decision to delicense the Lower 6 GHz band, as notified by the Ministry of Communications vide the Gazette Notification dated 20 January 2026, issued on 21.01.2026. The decision makes the 5925–6425 MHz frequency band available on a license-exempt basis for low-power indoor and very low-power indoor wireless access systems, including radio local area networks.
President, BIF, said, “The industry has waited for over three years for the delicensing of the 6 GHz band. This is one of the most important telecom decisions to match and excel technological advancements and aim high for the common man. The notification reflects a process of detailed deliberation and stakeholder consultations conducted over the past three years which was extremely beneficial for arriving at such balanced outcomes that take into account consumer interests, development of the digital economy especially R&D, startups & innovation and national interest”
He remarked, “This decision would greatly benefit the common man as it would help bridge indoor outdoor divide since higher mobile frequencies associated with 5G/6G have poor penetration indoors and the common man consumes 80 per cent or more indoors. 6GHz Wifi will be able to overcome the deficiencies and provide full access to modern apps and data intensive applications indoors.”
By enabling higher channel bandwidths of up to 320 MHz, the band is expected to significantly enhance broadband (Wi-Fi) speeds, capacity and performance.
Apart from benefiting the common man in day to day usage, the lower 6 GHz band also enables the deployment of advanced and next-generation Wi-Fi technologies such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which enables data intensive applications including next-generation gaming platforms, AR/VR devices, smart wearables, and immersive digital services that operate exclusively in the delicensed 6 GHz band.
Highlighting the broader economic and innovation potential of the availability of the Lower 6 GHz band, chairperson, BIF, said, “India has a unique opportunity to become a global leader in Wi-Fi technology, given the high level of readiness to adopt Wi-Fi in the ecosystem. The estimated value of unlocking this potential is about $250 billion, which makes the delicensing of the 6GHz spectrum a crucial step towards achieving this goal.”
