In a major win for tech companies like Sony, Apple and Meta, the Indian government has proposed to open up licence-free use of a portion of the key 6GHz spectrum, paving the way for faster WiFi speeds, and supporting connectivity needs of devices like the Sony PlayStation Pro, and virtual reality gear from Apple and Meta.
The 6 GHz spectrum band (5925 MHz-7125 MHz) and its use has been a point of contention between telecom companies Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea on one side and tech companies on the other. Telcos have been calling for the entire band to be reserved for licensed mobile telecommunication for 5G and 6G services, whereas tech companies wanted the band to be delicensed and provided free to use to improve WiFi services.
While rules vary country-by-country, some nations like the United States have allocated the full 1200MHz of 6GHz spectrum for unlicensed use, with others choosing to allocate a smaller swath of 500MHz, with an aim to create a balance between the two technologies. India has chosen to go the latter route. In a draft notification released recently, the Ministry of Communications said that a part of the 6 GHz band (5925 MHz -6425 MHz) would be made license-free.
In December 2023, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) had set aside the 6425 MHz –7125 MHz range for licensed mobile operations.
A reason to celebrate for tech companies
“No Authorisation or Frequency Assignment shall be required to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of Lower Power Indoor and Very Low Power outdoor wireless access systems, including radio local area networks operating in the frequency band 5925-6425 MHz,” the communications ministry said in a notification on the draft rules.
Tech companies believe that unlicensed availability of the spectrum will promote next generation Wi-Fi technologies like WiFi 6 and WiFi 7, and could play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things. WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 is many times faster than the current WiFi standard.
Due to the lack of clarity earlier on the unlicensed availability of the spectrum in the country, had announced that its latest gaming console, the PlayStation (PS) 5 Pro, would not be launched in India due to wireless connectivity issues. In a statement last year, the company had said, “PS5 Pro will not be available in some countries (which presently includes India) where 6GHz wireless band used in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) has not yet been allowed”. If the latest draft is cleared in its current form, it could mean that the company will launch the console in India.
While this is a positive step for the tech companies, the industry has argued that partial availability of the spectrum band could limit impact. The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which represents tech companies and shares their views on delicensed use of 6 GHz spectrum, more airwaves need to be freed up.
“A fraction of the band cannot deliver the full-scale impact we seek. An adequate chunk of delicensed 6 GHz band is required in order to power next-generation technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which are set to become foundational to our Digital Public Infrastructure,” said TV Ramachandran, president of the Broadband India Forum.
Global scenario
In April 2020, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up the 6GHz band with 1200MHz of spectrum for license-exempt uses. Canada too, has taken a similar approach.
However, in countries like Japan, Australia, Singapore, only a portion of the entire spectrum range has been delicensed for WiFi use. Mexico is contemplating broader harmonisation of the 6 GHz range. A few years ago, Chile decided to go for the same approach, overturning a decision to make the whole band available for WiFi.
