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Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is set to start charging telecom operators for the use of high-frequency radio bands—spectrum currently essential for tower-to-tower communication—marking a key policy shift aimed at monetising India’s wireless infrastructure, NDTV Profit reported, citing sources.
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Also Read: Telcos to Oppose DoT’s Move to Delicense Lower 6GHz Band, Citing 5G Expansion Concerns: Report
Government to Charge for Key Backhaul Spectrum
These high frequencies, including the 6 GHz, 7 GHz, 13 GHz, 15 GHz, and 21 GHz bands, are currently used by major operators such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea for microwave backhaul, which facilitates the transmission of data and voice traffic between telecom towers. So far, these bands have been available for use without a dedicated fee, barring a nominal Spectrum Usage Charge.
“So far, operators have used these bands without paying any direct fee, except for a nominal Spectrum Usage Charge. However, the government is now moving to monetise this infrastructure,” the report quoted sources as saying.
The government, in coordination with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), is now working to finalise the terms for assigning these frequencies, including setting a reserve price or base tariff. The terms are expected to be announced within the next two to three months following consultations with telecom companies and industry stakeholders.
