Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has reportedly advised the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) against directly assigning international mobile telecommunications (IMT) spectrum to enterprises for captive non-public networks (CNPNs), suggesting instead that India should reinforce a telco-led model through spectrum leasing and network slicing as the preferred approach for enterprise connectivity.
Further, GSMA argued that independent enterprise-run networks on dedicated airwaves would duplicate existing capabilities without delivering proportional benefits. It added that past studies showed no correlation between spectrum set-asides and faster digitalisation of enterprises, while diverting spectrum from public networks could adversely affect consumers. According to GSMA, reserving 100MHz of IMT spectrum typically results in a 25 per cent decline in average download speeds.
Private 5G, or CNPNs, are seen as a key application of next-generation networks, enabling high-speed, low-latency connectivity for enterprises and new monetisation avenues for telcos. However, commercial deployment of private 5G in India remains limited due to regulatory uncertainty and a weak device ecosystem.
