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5G Spectrum
The government is looking at addressing challenges related to lack of returns on 5G investments and at the same time need for expanding telecom infrastructure arising out of increase in data usage, a senior official said on Friday. During a panel discussion at ICRIER Prosus Centre for Internet and Digital Economy event, telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal said that the median data speed in India has increased from about 99-100 megabit per second (mbps) in September to 151 mbps and on an average an individual consumes about 29 gigabytes of data every month. He said that most people are consuming data for the purpose of entertainment which means that there is a need to continuously augment telecom infrastructure. "In terms of challenges, we are going to see a lot of pressure on spectrum, as the data flow increases, we have to find new spectrum for mobile usage and broadband. A lot of capex will be required as we move from 5G to 6G. Elsewhere use of 5G and providing them returns because we
Non-allocation of telecom spectrum in 6-Ghz band could lead to a radio wave crunch for high-speed 5G services, a key growth driver for the country's digital economy and development of emerging technologies specially artificial intelligence, industry body COAI said on Tuesday. India needs an additional 2 giga hertz of mid-band spectrum to meet the international standard of 'IMT-2020' user experience to ensure data rates of 100 megabit per second (mbps) on downlink and 50 mbps on uplink in densely-populated cities, COAI Director General S P Kochhar told PTI, citing global telecom industry GSMA. "While the government is considering vacating the spectrum in C-band, i.e., 3,670-4,000 MHz for 5G/6G use, it may not be enough to reach the required 2 GHz spectrum for IMT (5G/6G) in mid-band. Therefore, we want to stress on the fact that it is essential that the most optimal allocation of the 1,200 MHz available in the 6 GHz band is done for mobile communications in India, to get this critical
Telecom regulator Trai on Friday recommended the allotment of the only chunk of 5 megahertz spectrum left in premium 700 Mhz band frequency range to Indian Railways for passenger safety applications. The price of per megahertz (Mhz) spectrum in 700 Mhz band frequency was priced at Rs 3,927 crore for commercial use. "In addition to the already assigned 5 MHz (paired) frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band, an additional 5 MHz (paired) frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz frequency band should be assigned to Indian Railways for its safety and security applications along the railway tracks for captive use," Trai said in its recommendation on "Assignment of Additional Spectrum to Indian Railways for its Safety and Security Applications". The DoT has already allocated 5 Mhz of spectrum in the 700 Mhz band to Indian Railways in 2021. Telecom signals transmitted in 700 Mhz band can cover an area in the range of 6-10 km. The vast coverage provided in these frequency bands reduces th
Industry body COAI on Tuesday said the Cabinet nod for bank guarantee waiver for past spectrum purchases is a "landmark decision" that would help reduce financial burden on telecom operators in the country. The association - whose members include Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio - further said the move will enhance cash flow, free up capital and enable capital investments in network expansion and technology upgrades. This, COAI said, will ensure a stronger and robust rollout of telecom networks in the future. "COAI welcomes the Union Cabinet's move and thanks the Government on approving the waiving of bank guarantee for telecom operators on spectrum purchased before 2022. This landmark decision will significantly help reduce the financial burden on the telecom operators in the country," SP Kochhar, Director General of COAI said in a statement. The Union Cabinet has waived the requirement to submit bank guarantees for spectrum purchased through auctions held before 2022