The Indian telecom industry, which had previously been united in seeking the entire 6 GHz spectrum band for 5G services, is now divided over the government's proposal to delicence the lower portion of the band for Wi-Fi use. While Reliance Jio has softened its earlier opposition and aligned with global tech companies in supporting higher power limits for Wi-Fi devices, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are calling for further deliberations before a final decision is made.
Also Read: Telcos to Oppose DoT’s Move to Delicense Lower 6GHz Band, Citing 5G Expansion Concerns
Jio Aligns with Global Tech Giants
"Reliance Jio has reconciled its demands and joined the technology industry in seeking a higher power limit for Wi-Fi devices operating under the delicensed spectrum," The Economic Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to industry sources, Jio has recalibrated its stance and now supports the technology sector's demand to increase the permissible power levels for Wi-Fi equipment operating in the delicensed band. Jio, which has been deploying unlicensed band radio (UBR) equipment to offer fixed wireless access (FWA) services, sees the 6 GHz spectrum as an opportunity to expand these offerings using its in-house technology.
Also Read: Jio Seeks DoT Nod to Use 26 GHz 5G Spectrum for WiFi Services
Airtel and Vi Call for Committee Formation
In contrast, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are urging the government to conduct more consultations and establish a committee before finalizing the decision on spectrum delicensing. Although Jio initially opposed the delicensing of the 6 GHz band, it has since decided not to resist the government's move, recognizing the potential to use the same spectrum for FWA services with equipment developed in-house. According to industry insiders, both Airtel and Vi currently lack the necessary equipment to leverage the 6 GHz band for FWA services.
Also Read: Centre Notifies Draft Rules to Delicense Lower 6 GHz Band for Wi-Fi Use
DoT's Proposal
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has proposed delicensing the lower part of the 6 GHz band — a move that would enable the deployment of next-generation Wi-Fi technologies such as Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. These technologies promise significant improvements in speed and capacity, addressing the growing demand for data-intensive applications like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Tech giants including Meta, Google, Amazon, and Qualcomm have strongly advocated for delicensing, arguing that it is essential to support high-throughput, low-latency applications at scale. They are also pushing for a revision of the proposed power limits. The DoT has recommended a power spectral density (PSD) cap of -5 dBm/MHz and a total transmit power of 14 dBm for very low power devices. However, the tech industry is urging the government to increase these limits to 1 dBm/MHz — in line with global standards — to ensure wider range and better performance.
The report also noted that Jio has been using UBR equipment to provide 5G FWA services via Wi-Fi spectrum for the past few months. If the government agrees to raise the power limits for the 6 GHz band, the spectrum could be used effectively for both FWA and Wi-Fi services.
Also Read: Jio 5G FWA Stack Sees Global Interest After India Scale-Up; Jio Private 5G Powering Industry 5.0
Unnamed experts cited in the report warned that low power limits could hinder the effective utilization of the 6 GHz band. This spectrum has the potential to deliver speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps — significantly higher than the 1.3 Gbps offered by the 5 GHz band and the 600 Mbps capacity of the 2.4 GHz band currently used for Wi-Fi in India.
Global Standards
Globally, more than 84 countries — including the US, UK, and South Korea — have already delicensed the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi. Industry stakeholders believe that adopting a similar approach in India would enhance internet accessibility, reduce congestion in existing Wi-Fi bands, and enable affordable, high-speed connectivity.
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