An alliance of major US technology companies, including Apple, Meta, Cisco, HP, Amazon, and Intel, has formally resisted demands by Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea regarding the distribution of the 6 GHz spectrum band.
Indian telecom operators want the spectrum for mobile services (IMT) auctioned, while tech giants support delicensing the complete band for Wi-Fi use. In a Joint submission to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) concerning the forthcoming spectrum auction, the US tech majors argued that the ecosystem for mobile services in the 6 GHz band is not yet ready, either technically or commercially.
Presently, the Indian government has recognised 400 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for auction, with another 300 MHz expected by 2030. The lower 6 GHz band (5925-6425 MHz) has already been designated for delicensing to support low-power applications such as Wi-Fi.
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The American technology companies coalition has recommended that the government postpone any auction timelines for the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz ranges. In a joint response to Telecom regulators and TRAI’s consultation paper on the upcoming round of spectrum auction, the US technology giants said that the 6 GHz band is not designated for mobile services.
