Indian telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has sent an SOS letter to union telecom minister
Ashwini Vaishnaw
. The letter reportedly claims that the Indian delegation at an ongoing global spectrum meet (ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023) is deviating from the stand agreed upon with the industry on the 6 Ghz band spectrum.
COAI
's key members include Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea.
In the letter to union telecom minister Vaishnaw, COAI said that failure to designate spectrum in the 6 GHz band for mobile services will harm India's 5G interest. It further added that this will also impact the progress towards the development of a worldwide ecosystem for mobile telephony in this band.
ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 is currently taking place in Dubai where a decision is expected to be taken on technology for which 6 Ghz band spectrum should be used across the globe.
Why COAI wants 6Ghz for 5G
Telecom companies Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone want the 6Ghz band spectrum band to be earmarked for 5G services. The cost of network rollout in this frequency will be lower as compared to the next set of suitable spectrum for 5G available in higher frequency bands. Also, the global telecom industry body GSMA too in a letter to Vaishnaw last month said that the 6GHz band is the only large contiguous block of mid-band spectrum that can deliver affordable 5G services.
In the letter, COAI said through its earlier correspondence to the minister, it had attempted to put forward the correct picture about the use and need for the designation of the 6 GHz frequency band for IMT or 5G network. "In light of the criticality of the band for India's 5G and 6G aspirations, we had recommended strict adherence to the Indian position during the ongoing WRC-2023 and requested to kindly ensure that deviations, if any, be affected only upon consultation with all the stakeholders," COAI Director General SP Kochhar said in the letter.
Kochhar said as the WRC-2023 deliberations enter the crucial last phase presently, it appears that discussions are being steered towards the bands designation for delicensed "WiFi/NRU (new radio unlicensed)" usage, contrary to the originally agreed upon position, and against the national objectives and interests.
"The impractical power limits for IMT being suggested by the Indian delegation at WRC, even for Regions 1 and 2, would be detrimental to the development of 5G and 6G in this band, and we believe that was never India's official position," he said. Kochhar said IMT (5G) allocation in this band is essential to bolster India's burgeoning digital infrastructure and ensure that the benefits of next-generation connectivity reach every corner of the nation.
"Failure to designate this band as originally intended will not only harm India's IMT interests, but also impact the progress towards the development of a worldwide ecosystem for IMT in this band," Kochhar said. COAI has sought immediate intervention of Vaishnaw to ensure that the allocation of the 6 GHz band is done for 5G in a manner that prioritises national interest and upholds connectivity goals.
Why the tussle
Technology companies
which provide WiFi services have demanded that the spectrum in the 6 Ghz band should be allocated for WiFi services. These companies have been at loggerheads with the mobile phone operators on this issue.
Earlier, the Broadband India Forum (BIF) - which represents tech companies - had termed the recommendations of a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) committee on 6 GHz as "biassed" as the panel was one-sided with it comprising only telecom industry associations - COAI and GSMA - with no representation from WiFi bodies.
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