India's Spectrum Demand Accelerates with 5G Adoption By CIOTechOutlook Team

India's Spectrum Demand Accelerates with 5G Adoption

CIOTechOutlook Team | Thursday, 28 November 2024, 05:07 IST

Over the next few years, there will be an increased need for spectrum in India due to the growing use of 5G technology. In anticipation of this, telecommunications companies have requested additional mid-band spectrum for the purposes of 5G and 6G technologies. The sector predicts a need for around 2,000 MHz in the mid-band spectrum in the coming years, increasing from the current 400 MHz that is currently available. This has required the demand for refarming in order to guarantee spectrum availability.

Although the DoT has not made a decision on the entire 6 GHz band with 1200 MHz spectrum, it has chosen to utilize the upper 6 GHz band for mobility purposes. Last year, the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) allocated 100 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for mobility services globally, with the upper part of the 6 GHz band designated for IMT (mobility services) in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Indian telecommunications companies are advocating for the complete reservation of the 6 GHz band for mobility services, whereas the technology sector is pushing for the deregulation of certain airwaves to be used for Wi-Fi.

Officials have informed sources that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is developing an ambitious strategy to repurpose over 1100 MHZ spectrum currently held by different ministries and departments. This spectrum will be reallocated to telecom operators for 5G and 6G services, potentially generating over Rs 5 lakh crore for the exchequer. DoT has recognized 10 bands of spectrum that will be available for auction to telecom operators in the next few years.