Latest news with #BroadbandIndiaForum

Time of India

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.