The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued recommendations for the assignment of an additional 5 MHz of paired spectrum in the premium 700 MHz band to Indian Railways. This spectrum, intended for enhancing safety and security systems along railway tracks, will be allocated for captive use. The decision follows a request from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and is part of the ongoing efforts to modernise railway communications.
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TRAI's Spectrum Allocation for Railway Safety
"In addition to the already assigned 5 MHz (paired) frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band, an additional 5 MHz (paired) frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band should be assigned to Indian Railways for its safety and security applications along the railway tracks for captive use," TRAI said on Friday in its recommendation on the "Assignment of Additional Spectrum to Indian Railways for its Safety and Security Applications".
Spectrum in 700 MHz Band
The DoT has already allocated 5 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band to Indian Railways in 2021. Telecom signals transmitted in the 700 MHz band can cover a significantly large area and are considered crucial for 5G networks. The price of spectrum per megahertz (MHz) in the 700 MHz band was set at Rs 3,927 crore for commercial use.
In its recommendations, TRAI suggests that the new spectrum be harmonised with the previously assigned 5 MHz block, creating a contiguous 10 MHz band for Indian Railways. Additionally, it proposes the allocation of a 5 MHz block to NCRTC, other RRTS, and Metro rail networks.
"Spectrum harmonisation should be carried out to assign a contiguous block of 10 MHz of frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz band to Indian Railways and an adjacent 5 MHz block to NCRTC/ other RRTS/ Metro rail networks. At the same time, it should be ensured that minimum disturbance occurs to the running networks," TRAI said.
Field Trials for RAN Sharing
TRAI also emphasised the need for a field trial to assess the feasibility of Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing between Indian Railways, NCRTC, and other transport networks. If successful, this could lead to efficient spectrum utilisation in overlapping areas. The outcome of this trial would inform further decisions on RAN sharing through a multi-operator core network (MOCN).
Regarding spectrum charges, TRAI recommended that fees be levied based on the existing formula for Royalty Charges and License Fees for captive use, as prescribed by DoT.
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Spectrum Usage Charges
"The authority recommends that spectrum charges for Indian Railways/NCRTC/ other RRTS/Metro rail networks should be levied based on the formula for royalty charges and licence fees for captive use, as prescribed by DoT," the recommendation said.
"When Railways implements its LTE network and Kavach over LTE, it shall surrender frequencies in the 146-174 MHz presently being used for driver- guard and driver/ guard to station communication as well as in the 400 MHz band being used for Kavach and consolidate all its requirements in 700 MHz band provided adequate bandwidth is available," TRAI recommendation said.
Telcos Assigned Spectrum in 700 MHz
The vacant spectrum in the 700 MHz band is adjacent to the frequency band allocated to Reliance Jio in the auctions held in 2022. Currently, Jio (10 MHz) and BSNL (10 MHz reserved) are the only operators holding spectrum in the 700 MHz band.
