The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has reportedly delayed the allocation of the 6 GHz spectrum band because of the ongoing tussle between the telcos and the tech companies. Currently the band is with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and will continue to stay with the space body. For a long time now, the telcos have been demanding the telecom department to allocate the 6 GHz band for mobility services use. The telcos believe that it will be a crucial band to further expand 5G and deploy 6G in the future.
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GSMA, a global telecom body, has written to the Indian government several times asking for the allocation of the 6 GHz band for 5G services. Indian telcos don't have enough access to the mid-band spectrum for providing decent 5G experience as the network expands. Thus, the 6 GHz band will be crucial for the 5G expansion, GSMA has said.
However, the tech bodies believe that delicensing the 6 GHz spectrum will be the best use of the band. This is because then it will be available for Wi-Fi services. Consumers in India can't get use Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 technology because of the 6 GHz band is not free. However, at the same time, telcos believe that if the tech bodies will get access to 6 GHz spectrum, then they can cannibilise the services offered by the telecom operators, said a Financial Express report.
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For the unaware, the 6 GHz band includes frequencies in the range of 5925-7125 MHz. The report said that Reliance Jio is talking to all the stakeholdesr involved in an informal manner about this. The government has not been able to make up a decision on the matter yet and thus we wil have to wait more to see what will happen with the 6 GHz band in the country.