US tech giants Apple, Amazon, Meta, Cisco, HP and Intel have come together to oppose Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea’s request for mobile spectrum in the 6-gigahertz band. These companies want the full 6GHz band to be kept for Wi-Fi use instead of mobile networks.
US tech giants questioning mobile use of 6GHz band
In their joint response to Trai’s consultation paper on the next spectrum auction, major US tech companies said the 6GHz band is not yet technically or commercially ready for mobile services. They advised against fixing any deadlines for auctioning the 6425–6725 MHz and 7025–7125 MHz ranges for mobile use. They suggested that Trai and the Department of Telecommunications should review how the upper 6GHz band is allocated after the decisions of WRC-27, which will also examine the 7.125–8.4 GHz range.
The companies also said that any part of the upper 6GHz band that is not being used should be opened up temporarily for unlicensed use.
Telcos push for auction, Govt plans mixed use
The government has announced that 400 MHz of 6GHz spectrum is ready for auction, another 300 MHz will be available by 2030, and 500 MHz will be delicensed for low-power uses such as Wi-Fi.
Reliance Jio has asked the government to include the entire 1200 MHz available in the 6GHz band in the upcoming auction, even though 500 MHz from the lower portion of this band is already set aside for unlicensed Wi-Fi use. The bands 6425–6725 MHz and 6725–7125 MHz fall under the upper 6GHz category.
The lower 6GHz band (5925–6425 MHz) has already been opened up for low-power Wi-Fi applications. Vodafone Idea has asked the government to put the 400 MHz of immediately available spectrum up for sale in the next auction.
Airtel has also requested that the auction of the 6GHz band be delayed because devices, network equipment and global alignment for this band are still not fully ready.
Qualcomm and COAI take opposing stands
US-based chipset company Qualcomm supported the idea of delaying the auction. It argued that the upper 6GHz band is important for India’s mobile growth and pointed out that countries such as China, Brazil and several in Europe are considering the full 700 MHz of this band for future 6G networks. Qualcomm said waiting until after WRC-27 would help India stay in line with global standards and protect its long-term 6G goals.
However, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which includes Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, opposed the move to delicense the 6GHz band. It said that opening this band for unlicensed use would harm India’s digital future because licensed mobile spectrum provides reliable performance, better quality and nationwide coverage, which are needed for Digital Bharat and future 6G services such as connected mobility and industrial automation.
COAI warned that delicensing even part of the band would be a permanent decision that would prevent its future use for licensed mobile broadband. It also argued that unlicensed Wi-Fi use by global tech companies could reduce government revenue and give foreign platforms an unfair advantage, putting Indian telecom operators at a disadvantage.
