In a letter to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways, GSMA has expressed that it is high time for the country to support the 6 GHz band for 5G mobile ecosystem and beyond, including achieving Bharat 6G Vision.
Mats Granryd, director general, GSMA noted in the letter that 6 GHz band is also essential to achieving the Bharat 6G Vision so that India can take its rightful place as a leading global supplier of advanced telecom technologies and solutions that are affordable and contribute to the global good.
Further, he added that the position taken by the Indian administration has been unfortunate so far at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), and has been at variance with larger consensus being developed. However, this is the fifth letter in two years by GSMA that represents nearly 800 telecom service providers worldwide.
Currently, the negotiations at WRC-23 in Dubai, are at their final stages, where India has not disclosed its stance on 6 GHz frequency range application, while it continues to oppose for neighbouring countries.
Telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) have been demanding the frequency range to expand next generation 5G services in the country. India will require more mid-band spectrum to continue its strong start to 5G and WRC-23 is an opportunity for the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to take necessary steps.
Incumbent operators want 6 GHz band to be auctioned and fully made available for 5G services and for 6G in future. Meanwhile, tech companies want it to be delicensed to boost affordable broadband penetration across rural India through public Wi-Fi, a demand strongly opposed by telcos in India.
However, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had also written similar letters to telecom minister and secretary in the past seeking to identify 6 GHz band for telecommunication services.
