Bharti Airtel has once again demanded that E-band spectrum, which has the potential to provide high-speed broadband services, should be allocated to telecom operators and the government should find some way to bundle it with 5G spectrum, so that it is available for use.
The E-band spectrum (71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz) has the capability to carry large amounts of broadband traffic, which makes it best suited for wireless backhaul. But so far, the government has not finalised an allocation methodology for the spectrum. Further, any decision around the methodology has become difficult, with telecom players like Reliance Jio seeking auctions, while the technology industry is pitching for delicensing and administrative allocation. Further, there is a divide among the telecom operators themselves.
Jio has been opposing the demand by Airtel and Vodafone Idea, of bundling E-band spectrum with access spectrum, as it would impact the pricing. Moreover, any bundling will remove the flexibility of operators to buy E-band spectrum in auction. Jio wants standalone auction of E-band spectrum, so that all the players are at liberty to buy according to their requirements.
As per Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, India and South Asia, Bharti Airtel, E-band spectrum can enable large amounts of backhaul from the mobile tower to carry broadband traffic. “Unfortunately, this spectrum has been sitting with the government and has not been allocated to the players. I think this is a waste of very precious resource and my view is that we must find some way of bundling it with 5G spectrum so that it’s available for use in order to build out 5G.”
Vittal, who was speaking at a post-Budget seminar in the presence of telecom secretary K Rajaraman, said that if E-band spectrum doesn’t come in along with the access spectrum on 5G, the 5G gain will really be in serious jeopardy. On its part, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has tasked the wireless adviser to work on a roadmap for a hybrid model of allocation of spectrum in the E band.
Further, Vittal said the issue needs to be addressed so that broadband can be provided to all. “If you look at the broadband connectivity in India, it’s about 800 million connections, of which wireline is only 24 million. So, wireless has been the bedrock on the basis of which all the digital infrastructure, all the digital activity and the economic activity has been happening in the country,” he said.
When it comes to wired broadband, even urban areas are seriously under penetrated. On its part, Vittal said Bharti Airtel has invested around `1 lakh crore in four years (between 2017-18 up to March 2021) in its broadband infrastructure in the country. But for broadband infrastructure, backhaul is absolutely essential and backhaul can be done either by providing fibre direct to the home or to the tower through which customers can be served or through wireless backhaul, particularly through the E-band spectrum, which can help in actually moving large amounts of traffic on the backhaul.