The centre has cleared licence-exempt use of a key portion of the 6 GHz spectrum, covering 5925 MHz to 6425 MHz for the roll-out of next-generation high-speed Wi-Fi networks.
Under the new regime, devices operating in the lower 6 GHz band, which have traditionally been restricted for licensed telecom use can now be deployed without a licence or spectrum assignment, provided they adhere to prescribed technical specifications and operate on a non-interference, shared and non-protection basis.
Next-Gen Wi-Fi Support
This covers low-power indoor and very low-power outdoor wireless networks, including radio local area systems, enabling Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 technologies that support multi-gigabit speeds and low latency.
This move is expected to enhance broadband speeds, reduce congestion, and improve performance for heavy data-use applications such as cloud gaming, video conferencing, augmented and virtual reality, and connected IoT devices.
Bridging Throughput Gaps
Tech companies, so far have argued that existing Wi-Fi infrastructure cannot fully extend the throughput of cellular networks into homes and offices, a gap this decision seeks to bridge.
The move comes after a proposal by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in May 2025 to delicense the lower 500 MHz of the 6 GHz band which was resisted by telecom operators who had sought broader allocations for mobile services.