As per Satcom Industry Association-India (SIA-India), bifurcating satellite bands in the upcoming 5G auction may cost the country up to $184.6 billion in economic losses by 2030. This, in turn, is believed to impact associated foreign direct investment (FDI) and employment generation benefits.
According to company’s estimates, the impact of the loss of C-band spectrum in the 3.6-3.67 GHz band alone will be felt across the entire Rs 700 billion Indian broadcasting industry.
The international practice for rationally planning spectrum use for different applications scrutinises alternative uses to figure out the use case that maximises the value of that spectrum. In India, airwaves in several bands such as 526-698 MHz, 700 MHz, 800MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz, and 24.25-28.5 GHz are set to go under the hammer for 5G rollout.
Meanwhile, SIA-India has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to limit the inclusion of millimeter-wave or mmWave spectrum in any International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)/5G to the internationally harmonised 24.25-27.5 GHz spectrum.
SIA-India also raised the concern that with three private mobile network operators (MNOs) accounting for almost 90 per cent of the market, each of them would be able to secure 80-90 MHz while leaving 30-60 MHz for the state-owned MNOs that account for the remainder of the market. Further SIA- India stresses that it is important to ensure that the 5G operations do not interfere, impact or hamper the existing operations of satellite services.
