High-Speed Entry: Doors to 6GHz Band Opening Partially
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Consumers are set to get speed and better capacity on home WiFi networks, with the government deciding to delicense the lower portion of the 6 GHz spectrum band, making another 500 MHz of airwaves available.The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has posted draft rules, with comments sought by June 15, after which the framework will be finalised.Experts said the 6 GHz band can offer data speeds of up to 9.6 gigabits per second (Gbps), against 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band and 600 megabit per second (Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. Over 84 countries, including the US, UK and South Korea, have already delicensed the 6 GHz band for WiFi services.WiFi services are currently offered in India through the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. These are congested and offer limited speeds and capacity for data-heavy applications such as online gaming, internet of things, assisted reality and virtual reality, etc.Opening up the new band will also allow the latest WiFi routers working on 6 GHz to be used in India. Gaming consoles such as Sony Playstation 5 Pro — which couldn't be launched locally due to non-availability of required airwaves — can also be unveiled soon, added experts.The delicensing, or allotment of airwaves without auctions, will pave the way for deployment of next-generation technologies such as WiFi 6E and 7 in India and is seen as a big win for technology companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon and Qualcomm, experts said. It was a key demand of the tech industry to meet surging bandwidth requirements at affordable rates.The 6 GHz, which is mid-band, comprises 1,200 MHz of spectrum, ranging from 5,925 to 7,125 MHz. DoT had earlier earmarked the upper portion of the band (6,425-7,125 MHz) for 4G and 5G. Now the lower portion—5,925-6,425 MHz—has been delicensed for WiFi use.Telcos had pushed for the entire 6 GHz airwaves to be set aside for mobile broadband services, citing lack of spectrum and the band's characteristics of offering a balance of wide coverage and capacity, which could have provided cost-efficient 5G deployment. The tech industry was also seeking delicensing of the entire band. DoT has chosen a middle ground.According to the draft rules notified by DoT, 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 5,925-6,425 MHz frequency band.Stakeholders can submit objections or suggestions by June 15, after which the final rules will be notified. The telcos aren't too happy with the partial opening, but are unlikely to challenge DoT legally as WiFi and fixed broadband are key target areas for them too, pointed out industry executives.The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which has Amazon, Google, Meta, Qualcomm and Netflix among its members, said the delicensing was a long-overdue and much-needed first step toward unlocking the potential of the 6 GHz band, but sought an additional 160 MHz of waves.
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