Tech Firms Urge Indian Govt to Delicense 6 GHz Wi-Fi Band, Cite Rs 12.7 Lakh Crore Annual Loss: Report

Global technology companies have renewed their appeal to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to delicense the 6 GHz spectrum band (5925–7125 MHz), warning that policy delays are resulting in an estimated annual economic loss of Rs 12.7 lakh crore to the Indian exchequer.

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Also Read: COAI Backs GSMA’s Call for 6 GHz Spectrum Allocation in India

Critical Applications at Stake

In a letter dated April 11 to Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, industry body Broadband India Forum (BIF) — whose members include Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Cisco, and satellite firms such as OneWeb, Hughes, and Inmarsat — argued that the globally adopted frequency band is essential for enabling next-generation digital applications, including AR/VR headsets, smart glasses, and Wi-Fi 6E/7-compatible devices, ETTelecom reported.

BIF reportedly highlighted that the frequency is critical for gadgets such as Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, the Sony PS5, and AR/VR headsets.

Also Read: GSMA Urges India’s DoT to Include 6GHz Band in Next Spectrum Auction: Report

Policy Inertia Hampers Device Potential

BIF noted that over 84 countries have already opened part or all of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use, while India risks lagging behind due to regulatory inertia. “The ecosystem is already ready; what’s missing is policy clarity,” BIF president T V Ramachandran said in the letter, according to the report.

BIF reportedly pointed out that routers and consumer devices such as Wi-Fi 6E/7 gadgets and AR/VR headsets already support the band globally but remain underutilised domestically due to policy inertia. It argued that more than 80 percent of internet data in India is consumed indoors where 5G in the 3.5 GHz band faces issues such as reduction in signal strength and, therefore, Wi-Fi 6E/7 in the 6 GHz band is the only scalable, cost-effective solution.