Delicensing of 6 GHz band spectrum a ‘necessity’, policy framework before August 15: Telecom Minister

Delicensing of 6 GHz band spectrum a ‘necessity’, policy framework before August 15: Telecom Minister

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday called the central government’s move to delicense the lower 6GHz spectrum band a “necessity” rather than a luxury. This move paves the way for high-speed, low-cost digital infrastructure that can transform connectivity and unlock multi-sector innovation across India.

Scindia also confirmed that the policy framework for 6GHz will be released by August 15, adding: “I guarantee that our rules for this will be out either on or before Independence Day of this year.”

“We have now delicensed and awarded the lower portion of the 6GHz spectrum, which is not a luxury today, it is a necessity. And that will give our industry multi-gigabit speeds, ultra-low latency, low-cost digital highways that will spawn multiple businesses and opportunities,” Scindia said at a Broadband India Forum (BIF) event focused on Wi-Fi.

The central government unveiled draft rules to delicense the 5925–6425 MHz portion of the 6 GHz spectrum band in May, with an aim to accelerate the nationwide rollout of low-power and very low-power wireless devices. This is expected to enhance home Wi-Fi speed and capacity for consumers while enabling access to the latest devices from leading tech companies such as Sony, Meta, Apple, and Google.

Globally, several regulators have already delicensed the lower portion of the 6 GHz band to enable unlicensed Wi-Fi use, while the upper portion is typically reserved for licensed telecom services.

In India, this development is seen as a win for broadband and tech firms advocating for unlicensed access to the full 6 GHz band to support next-generation Wi-Fi technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7. The delicensing of the lower portion of the 6 GHz band is expected to accelerate the adoption of these technologies.

The 6GHz mid-band comprises 1,200MHz of spectrum from 5925MHz to 7125MHz.

Wi-Fi services in India have relied on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, which have become increasingly congested. This has limited their ability to support bandwidth-intensive applications such as AR/VR, IoT, 4K streaming, and cloud gaming. Adding the lower 6GHz band is expected to significantly improve capacity, speeds, and user experiences.

Drawing parallels with India’s rapid 5G rollout, Scindia said Wi-Fi infrastructure must also be scaled swiftly and widely. “India's grassroots connectivity is rooted in simplicity, driven by inclusion, and blessed by innovation. These are the three characteristics of this industry which will help multiple industries to flourish.”

The minister also reiterated the government’s commitment to PM-WANI, India’s public Wi-Fi initiative launched in December 2020, as a tool to democratise internet access. While Scindia cited India’s leadership in low-cost data at Rs 9 per GB (vs. the global average of $2.49), he acknowledged hurdles in PM-WANI’s deployment, such as backhaul cost and monetisation limitations.

India currently has 333,294 active PM-WANI hotspots, according to the central registry. Scindia emphasised that affordable device availability—both network and user-side—will be critical to ensuring the success of Wi-Fi 6E and 7 in the country. “We cannot allow devices to become the new digital divide in our country,” he said.

Quoting research, the minister projected that India’s telecom sector revenue could grow from $15 billion today to $70 billion by 2035, with Wi-Fi alone contributing $22 billion to that growth. “That's the steep growth path, and India is the only country that provides this exponential growth,” he said.

The minister also urged chipmakers, OEMs and device makers to localise and scale production of devices at accessible price points. "I must appeal to my industry, chip makers, OEMs and device makers that we must ensure that we are able to produce devices at nominal cost to allow our citizens to connect onto this technology. We cannot allow devices to become the new digital divide in our country," he said.