Indian Government Proposes License-Free Use of 6 GHz Spectrum for Faster WiFi and Gaming
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The Indian government has proposed license-free use of a portion of the 6 GHz spectrum , a move that could lead to faster WiFi speeds and better connectivity for devices like the Sony PlayStation Pro and virtual reality gear from Apple and Meta. This decision follows contention between telecom companies, who wanted the entire band for licensed mobile telecommunication, and tech companies, who advocated for delicensing to improve WiFi services. The Ministry of Communications recently released a draft notification stating that a part of the 6 GHz band (5925 MHz -6425 MHz) would be license-free. This decision could potentially lead to Sony launching the PlayStation 5 Pro in India, a move previously hindered by wireless connectivity issues.
The 6 GHz spectrum band (5925 MHz-7125 MHz) has been a point of contention between telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, and tech companies. Telcos have been advocating for the entire band to be reserved for licensed mobile telecommunication for 5G and 6G services. Tech companies, on the other hand, have been pushing for the band to be delicensed and provided free to use to improve WiFi services.
In a draft notification, the Ministry of Communications said that a part of the 6 GHz band (5925 MHz -6425 MHz) would be made license-free. In December 2023, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) had set aside the 6425 MHz –7125 MHz range for licensed mobile operations.
“No Authorisation or Frequency Assignment shall be required to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of Lower Power Indoor and Very Low Power outdoor wireless access systems, including radio local area networks operating in the frequency band 5925-6425 MHz,” the communications ministry said in a notification on the draft rules.
Tech companies anticipate that the unlicensed availability of the spectrum will promote next generation Wi-Fi technologies like WiFi 6 and WiFi 7. They also believe it could play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things. WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 are significantly faster than the current WiFi standard.
Due to the previous uncertainty regarding the unlicensed availability of the spectrum in the country, Sony had announced that its latest gaming console, the PlayStation (PS) 5 Pro, would not be launched in India due to wireless connectivity issues.
In a statement last year, the company had said, “PS5 Pro will not be available in some countries (which presently includes India) where 6GHz wireless band used in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) has not yet been allowed”.
If the latest draft is cleared in its current form, it could mean that the company will launch the console in India.
The industry has argued that partial availability of the spectrum band could limit impact.
The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which represents tech companies and shares their views on delicensed use of 6 GHz spectrum, believes more airwaves need to be freed up.
“A fraction of the band cannot deliver the full-scale impact we seek. An adequate chunk of delicensed 6 GHz band is required in order to power next-generation technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which are set to become foundational to our Digital Public Infrastructure,” said TV Ramachandran, president of the Broadband India Forum.
In April 2020, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up the 6GHz band with 1200MHz of spectrum for license-exempt uses. Canada has also taken a similar approach. However, in countries like Japan, Australia, and Singapore, only a portion of the entire spectrum range has been delicensed for WiFi use. Mexico is considering broader harmonization of the 6 GHz range. Chile previously reversed a decision to make the whole band available for WiFi.
The 6 GHz spectrum band (5925 MHz-7125 MHz) has been a point of contention between telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, and tech companies. Telcos have been advocating for the entire band to be reserved for licensed mobile telecommunication for 5G and 6G services. Tech companies, on the other hand, have been pushing for the band to be delicensed and provided free to use to improve WiFi services.
In a draft notification, the Ministry of Communications said that a part of the 6 GHz band (5925 MHz -6425 MHz) would be made license-free. In December 2023, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) had set aside the 6425 MHz –7125 MHz range for licensed mobile operations.
“No Authorisation or Frequency Assignment shall be required to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of Lower Power Indoor and Very Low Power outdoor wireless access systems, including radio local area networks operating in the frequency band 5925-6425 MHz,” the communications ministry said in a notification on the draft rules.
Tech companies anticipate that the unlicensed availability of the spectrum will promote next generation Wi-Fi technologies like WiFi 6 and WiFi 7. They also believe it could play a major role in the growth of the Internet of Things. WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 are significantly faster than the current WiFi standard.
Due to the previous uncertainty regarding the unlicensed availability of the spectrum in the country, Sony had announced that its latest gaming console, the PlayStation (PS) 5 Pro, would not be launched in India due to wireless connectivity issues.
In a statement last year, the company had said, “PS5 Pro will not be available in some countries (which presently includes India) where 6GHz wireless band used in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) has not yet been allowed”.
If the latest draft is cleared in its current form, it could mean that the company will launch the console in India.
The industry has argued that partial availability of the spectrum band could limit impact.
The Broadband India Forum (BIF), which represents tech companies and shares their views on delicensed use of 6 GHz spectrum, believes more airwaves need to be freed up.
“A fraction of the band cannot deliver the full-scale impact we seek. An adequate chunk of delicensed 6 GHz band is required in order to power next-generation technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which are set to become foundational to our Digital Public Infrastructure,” said TV Ramachandran, president of the Broadband India Forum.
In April 2020, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened up the 6GHz band with 1200MHz of spectrum for license-exempt uses. Canada has also taken a similar approach. However, in countries like Japan, Australia, and Singapore, only a portion of the entire spectrum range has been delicensed for WiFi use. Mexico is considering broader harmonization of the 6 GHz range. Chile previously reversed a decision to make the whole band available for WiFi.