6 GHz-driven Wi-Fi to boost innovation across India: Jyotiraditya Scindia
NEW DELHI: The Central government's decision to delicense the lower 6 GHz band will drive the proliferation of next-generation
Wi-Fi
technologies such as
Wi-Fi 6E
and Wi-Fi 7, and boost innovation in the country, union
telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia
said on Tuesday.
'We have just delicensed 500 MHz in our 6 GHz spectrum, and this will roll out these new, next generation technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which will result in higher speeds, ultra-low-latency, and seamless capacity,' Scindia said at an industry conference.
'With this technology, offices will no longer remain the hub of innovation. Our homes, each individual home, each rural hamlet, will become the hub of innovation in the days to come,' the union minister said.
The 6 GHz band-driven Wi-Fi can offer broadband speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps compared to 1.3 Gbps in the 5 GHz band, and 600 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Globally, several countries, including the US, the UK, and South Korea, have already delicensed the mid-band airwaves for Wi-Fi use.
Wi-Fi in India is currently supported by 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These bands, however, suffer from congestion, offer relatively lower speeds, and cannot adequately support the booming number of devices. Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, by contrast, will fuel the adoption of applications such as 4K streaming and online gaming, AR/VR services, and serve as a foundation for the rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem.
The technology industry, represented by the Broadband India Forum (BIF) and others, had been demanding that the government delicense the lower portion of 6 GHz, between 5925 MHz to 7125 MHz, for Wi-Fi. Telecom carriers, led by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), however, had been lobbying that the government identify and auction the entire 6 GHz band for fifth-generation (5G) and 6G services.
'I believe that broadband is no longer a pipeline, but is a platform for progress. Now we have to ensure that this platform for progress reaches every hand, lights every home, and reaches every corner of our country,' Scindia said.
The union minister exhorted the industry to increase the utilisation of the
BharatNet infrastructure
, suggesting that the companies devise fiber-sharing models, empower local entrepreneurs, and drive digital onboarding of citizens for broadband services.
'I would suggest to you six foundational pillars on which our mission has to be based. These are affordability, availability, accessibility, quality, safety, and the use of emerging technology such as AI, IoT and satellite to reach the last mile,' Scindia said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
How to find free Wi-Fi anywhere and connect safely: Things to keep in mind
Travel often means leaving your home internet behind. Whether you are on a weekend trip or visiting friends, staying connected matters. Finding free Wi-Fi on the go can keep you linked to work, family, or entertainment without using that costly mobile data. Here's how, with some simple steps and caution, you can locate and use free Wi-Fi safely at many locations. Start by knowing where to look. Many public places offer Wi-Fi access, but not all connections are safe. A hotspot is a device or location that provides wireless internet. There are two types: mobile hotspots and public hotspots. Also read: Realme Neo 7 Turbo key features tipped online ahead of May 29 launch: Here's what to expect Mobile hotspots use your smartphone to share the internet with other devices like laptops or tablets. Many phone plans support this feature, which lets you create a private hotspot. Public hotspots are common in places like cafes, airports, malls, libraries, and hotels. These networks aim to provide free internet to customers and visitors. You can find free Wi-Fi in many locations, including parks, museums, gyms, buses, and trains. Sometimes, your internet provider also offers access to their own hotspots. While you usually cannot connect to a hotspot at home unless you create one with your phone or connect to an open network nearby, public locations are your best bet for free internet. Also read: How to quietly limit someone on Instagram without blocking, unfollowing, or causing drama Before searching, consider using apps designed to locate Wi-Fi hotspots near you. Apps like Instabridge, WiFi Map, WiFi Around, Wiman, and WeFi provide lists or maps of available networks, often with useful details like login requirements and user feedback. These apps help you find reliable connections quickly and efficiently. However, before heading out, call places like libraries or campuses to confirm Wi-Fi availability if you don't use an app. To connect to free Wi-Fi, first check that your device supports Wi-Fi and turn it on. Once at the location, open your device's Wi-Fi settings and select the network you want to join. Many public networks require you to open a browser and agree to terms or enter an email before you get online. Although some networks require a password, which you can ask for at the venue. Also read: PlayStation Days of Play Sale: Spider-Man 2, God of War Ragnarök, and more games get big price cuts On the other hand, keep safety in mind when using public Wi-Fi. Avoid accessing sensitive accounts, such as banks or making online purchases over unsecured networks. Never leave your device unattended in public spaces. Even secure Wi-Fi networks can carry risks, so be cautious about sharing personal information. Public Wi-Fi does not require strong authentication, which makes it vulnerable to hackers. They can intercept data, steal passwords, or even install harmful software on your device. Use caution and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) for extra protection.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
Jyotiraditya Scindia interview: ‘India will have 1 billion Internet users by this fiscal'
With increasing data usage, the Internet market has grown from around 250 million to 974 million subscribers, says Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (DONER) Jyotiraditya Scindia. Stressing on the role of innovation and investment, Mr. Scindia discusses the potential of India's telecom industry and the way ahead for improving connectivity. Edited excerpts: This year's theme for The India Mobile Congress (IMC) is 'Innovate to Transform'. What's the message here for the domestic telecom industry? India has already proven itself to be the second largest telecom market in the world. In the last eleven years of Prime Minister Modi's government, not only have we grown on the mobile market from roughly 1 billion to 1.2 billion customers; we have also hugely grown data usage and the Internet market from around 250 million to 974 million Internet subscribers. The broadband market, with speeds greater than 2 Megabits per second (Mbps), has grown from 66 million in 2014 to 940 million today. We should be able to hit one billion Internet users within the first half of next year, or even within this fiscal year. That's a huge exponential expansion and penetration of the market that we've seen. At the same time, India has also proven to the world the law of economies of scale, where call price has gone down from 50 paise a minute to 0.003 paise per minute; where data has gone from ₹287 a GB to ₹9 a GB. We are today the cheapest data market in the world; the global average is $2.49. We are roughly at 11 cents. We have 5% of the world average cost. With such a large market and such a large ground to traverse, it is equally important for India to start pioneering the product space, and therefore IMC's theme this year of 'Innovate to Transform' very much ties in with its theme last year, 'The Future is Now'. India has already trailblazed that path by innovation, with the Centre for Development of Telematics, Tejas Networks, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) building its 4G stack across the board. Many products are also now being made in India. We have gone from importing 80% of our mobile phone requirements to becoming a huge exporter of about ₹1.75 lakh crore worth of mobile phones. Even in terms of routers and other products, you have got world majors coming to India. So, India is now preparing to position itself in the product market. The Bharat 6G Alliance that we have put together is working on contributing a minimum 10% of patents to the world of 6G. And it is our hope that in this year's IMC, we will have over 1,50,000 visitors from 150 countries, over 7,000 delegates, and 400 exhibitors… I think it is time for India to push its investment in research and development (R&D), push its proficiency and capability on the product side, and that is why this year's theme is about India not only being consumers of global tech but actually becoming the creators and innovators of global products in the telecom space. With telecom equipment, we had home-grown technologies like Open RAN and 5Gi, but much of the final deployment in this generation has had less domestic contribution. Which is why, in the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme — which has been tremendously successful, with over ₹4,000 crore of investment and ₹80,000 crore in revenue, close to ₹16,000 crore of exports, and 25,000 jobs created; it has been a runaway success — we introduced last year, a 1% design-led incentive. Therefore, I want to design, produce, and export in India. We hear a lot about Starlink and satellite communications. But in terms of connecting rural areas and remote areas, we have had decades of effort from the Universal Service Obligation Fund, now known as the Digital Bharat Nidhi. What is the long-term plan for terrestrial connectivity in remote areas? As far as BharatNet is concerned, in the first phase, we laid almost 7 lakh kilometres of fibre optic cables. We connected almost 2.14 lakh gram panchayats. We are now working on BharatNet II. Mind you, this is the largest public sector investment in connectivity to the grassroots level in the world, of $16.9 billion (₹1.39 lakh crore). What we are doing in BharatNet II is connecting the balance 2.64 lakh gram panchayats. We are going to have a capability of connecting 3.8 lakh villages on demand. The total number of villages in India is about 6.5 lakh, of which 2.64 lakh are gram panchayats. Along with that, we have put together many new systems in BharatNet II which were not prevalent in BharatNet I. So, let me talk about a few of those: first, we are now using Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) routers instead of Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) routers — it is a better technology, with higher redundancy levels; second, we are converting all the linear topography of BharatNet I — where a single breakage would impact all the downstream gram panchayats — into a ring topology, where each node is connected at two ends and is less prone to failure; third, the project implementation agencies have been mandated to also maintain the network for ten years after building it; and fourth, we are putting together a central network operating centre, to monitor and maintain the network throughout the country. Fifth, we are also going to put in place independent engineers — having nothing to do with BSNL or the L1 contractor — to ensure you are doing the job you are supposed to be doing, so there is a check and balance, and we are going to connect 1.5 crore Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) customers through this; and sixth, we are going to provide an Internet leased line which will have a minimum speed of 25 Mbps to every subscriber. So, it is a much more robust system that we are trying to put in place. Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) has been suffering financially for multiple quarters. They have also had a setback at the Supreme Court, which refused to revise the calculation for their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues. To what extent is the government willing to step in and make sure that there are at least three private operators in the telecom market? We have three private operators and one state-owned operator. So, we have four altogether, and I think that is a very healthy environment... Having said that, I think each company has to manage its own profit-and-loss (P&L) account and balance sheet. We have done an equity conversion of almost ₹37,000 crore with VIL. The government now holds 49%. We do not intend to increase that stake above 49% at any point in the future. On the Department of Posts: what impact has the Post Office Act, 2023 had on modernising India Post? The Indian postal department is one of the most robust, largest distribution and logistics networks of any organisation — and I am weighing my words — in the world. And in the modern day, to be able to optimise its service delivery to a logistics organisation, the amendment to the Post Office Act empowers us to provide that flexibility to our Department, to be able to serve new markets, niche or otherwise, to validate proofs of concept, to be able to change our delivery portfolio… And I think a lot of the new changes that we are being able to put in place are about making it a comprehensive service provider; not only mail, but postal life insurance, post office savings bank, and the India Post Payments Bank — which by the way has turned the corner and is making profits, three years before it was forecast to do so. We are thinking of coming up with a digital access code for every single latitude and longitude in the country. Today, the postal department is empowered to be able to deliver all those capabilities by the amendments to the Act. On the DIGIPIN initiative, which you just referenced, why was the need for this felt? It is not the need — with changing times and technology, you have to keep evolving. It would be like asking, why did you come up with UPI, or — when I was Civil Aviation Minister — why did you come up with Digi Yatra. Any organisation only survives and furthers itself if it continues to evolve. And in that evolution, the digital access code will benefit the customer and the service provider. It is a product which will be used far and wide by every service provider to be able to authenticate the latitude and longitude of where delivery takes place; this will aid them in ensuring crisper, more on-time, direct, focused delivery. The customer will benefit. It is a vehicle to provide much more efficiency. And it is our job to come up with that.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
'No more conversion of equity in Voda-Idea'
Jyotiraditya Scindia Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said government has no plans to provide any relief on the AGR (adjusted gross revenue) front to telecom companies after the Supreme Court struck down their plea for a waiver of interest and penalty. In an interview with TOI, the minister also made it clear that beleaguered Vodafone Idea will not receive any further equity conversion from government beyond the current 49%, and it's now the company's responsibility to take care of profit and loss and the balance sheet. Excerpts: Struggling Vodafone Idea has come to govt time and again for support. How long can you give this long rope to the company? Every company has to chart its own path. Profit and loss and the balance sheet are the responsibility of the management of each company - be it BSNL, Vodafone Idea, Jio, or Airtel. Based on govt policy, we converted close to Rs 36,000 crore of Vodafone Idea's dues into equity. We are today at 49%. I do not see us increasing that equity stake in the near future, at all. It's the responsibility of each company. How long can you wait for a turnaround? At least some bit of accountability is needed because this is public money going into saving a company... They have to define their own path at end of the day. That's the job of CEO of Vodafone Idea. Are you in regular touch with them? I don't believe in meddling in a company's affairs, whether it be a PSU or where govt has a stake. But if and when they come to us, we certainly meet them and hear them out. SC has refused relief to telcos on AGR matter. Does govt plan to bring out legislation to protect the companies from penalty and interest? There's nothing on my table at this point, so I can't comment. I think the Supreme Court has ruled on the matter, and that's where it stands. . Trai has given its recommendations On satellite communications. When will DoT approve them? We will start processing it. The department will look at it and then take a call. When will satcom services begin? I can't give you a very definitive timeline, but I can assure you that we are trying to do this sooner rather than later. Any healthy market has a mix of local and global players. Elon Musk is coming with Starlink and Amazon wants to come with Project Kuiper. Do you think it's good to have global competition? I can only say my market is open for you. Whoever wants to come into my market, check all the boxes in terms of the rules and regulations and processes, we want you here. For me, the choice for my customers is paramount. Just like the fixed line space or the mobile space or the broadband space, similarly in satellite, I want competition. Everyone is welcome here. Tick the boxes. Hurry up and start business. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
