GHz Spectrum Battle: U.S. Tech Majors Resist Indian Telcos’ Demand for Mobile Use

The quest for spectrum in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band for mobile services by Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea has been met with opposition from major U.S. tech companies Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Meta, HP, and Intel Corporation. Instead, the IT majors wanted the whole 6 GHz range to be used for Wi-Fi.

The U.S. tech titans have stated that the 6 GHz band is not yet commercially and technically ready for mobile services in a combined response to telecom regulator TRAI's consultation document for the upcoming round of spectrum sale. We do not advise establishing timetables for any future auction of the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz ranges for IMT, according to the joint submission. Following the conclusions of WRC-27, particularly Agenda Item 1.7 about 7.125-8.4 GHz, TRAI and the Department of Telecommunications shall evaluate the higher 6 GHz spectrum allocation.

Tug of War Between Tech Giants and Telecos

In the meanwhile, any above 6 GHz spectrum that would otherwise go unused should be made accessible for unlicensed usage, according to the tech giants. According to the government, 300 MHz will be accessible by 2030, 500 MHz will be delicensed for use by low-power applications, such as Wi-Fi services, and 400 MHz of 6 GHz frequencies are up for auction.

Even if the government has chosen to delicense 500 MHz of lower frequency range in the band for low-power or Wi-Fi applications, Reliance Jio has insisted that the full 1200 MHz spectrum available in the 6 GHz should be included in the next event. The upper 6 GHz band (6425-7125 MHz range) includes the recently discovered 6425-6725 MHz and 6725-7125 MHz bands.

For low-power uses, mostly Wi-Fi, the government has chosen to delicense (make publicly available) the lower 6 GHz band (5925-6425 MHz). Vodafone Idea has insisted on including 400 MHz of usable spectrum in the next auction. Due to issues with the band's ecosystem preparation, including device availability, network equipment, and worldwide harmonisation, Airtel has also requested a postponement of the 6 GHz frequency auction.

Qualcomm Echoes Similar Sentiments to Airtel

However, the leading U.S. chipset manufacturer Qualcomm has expressed similar opinions to those of Airtel. According to Qualcomm, the upper 6 GHz band is essential for the expansion of mobile in India. It should be mentioned that a number of other nations, including China, Brazil, and Europe, are thinking about using the full 700 MHz in this upper 6 GHz band for 6G.

India protects its 6G future, complies with international norms, and upholds its leadership ambitions by postponing the auction of the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz bands until after WRC-27. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and other telecom companies are members of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), a trade group that has opposed the delicensing of the 6 GHz band. According to COAI, delicensing is ineffective and deceptive.

For Digital Bharat and 6G applications like linked mobility, automation, and industrial networks, licensed IMT spectrum guarantees quality of service, quality of service, consistent performance, and nationwide scalability. It stated that delicensing even a portion of the 6 GHz band would be an irrevocable decision that would severely restrict India's long-term digital capacity and supply of reasonably priced services and permanently prohibit its use for licensed mobile broadband services.