We missed this earlier: The Broadband India Forum (BIF) recently wrote to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) urging the authority to delicense the 6GHz spectrum band. BIF, in a letter that was reviewed by MediaNama, says that this spectrum band is not used for 5G deployment anywhere in the world and as such should not be auctioned off for 5G services. In opposition, BIF mentions that 5G is required to be deployed in globally harmonized spectrum bands for optimal use and that the 6Ghz spectrum band is not one such band. What is BIF? BIF is a policy forum and think-tank operating in the broadcast ecosystem. Some of its prominent members include Amazon, Intel, Google, and Meta. Why it matters: Across the world, Wi-Fi-supporting frequency bands have been experiencing severe congestion, according to a study by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This congestion is created by multiple Wi-Fi networks as well as other technologies, like Bluetooth and remote control toys, with which the networks share access to these frequencies. The alliance suggests that the 6GHz spectrum is the only frequency range that can support the growing demand for Wi-Fi. BIF claims that delicensing of the 6GHz band can help with the deployment of high bandwidth-hungry applications like the metaverse, augmented reality, and virtual reality. It also suggests that delicensing would make the 6GHz band affordable and enable the spread of WiFi technologies to rural and remote areas. The context behind BIF’s demand: The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has been pushing…
