Govt frees spectrum for Wi-Fi, 5G services in 5 Ghz band from licence

The government has freed a set of spectrum in the 5 Ghz band from licensing for providing Wi-Fi and partially 5G services by telecom companies. No permits would be required for the spectrum in the range of 5150-5250 megahertz band, 5250-5350 Mhz and 5725-5875 Mhz, according to an official notification.

“No licence shall be required under indoor and outdoor environment to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of low power wireless access systems, including radio local area networks operating in the frequency band 5150-5250 MHz; 5250-5350 MHz; 5470-5725 MHz; and 5725-5875 MHz,” the government notification said.

The move is seen to push setting up of Wi-Fi services in the country and facilitate development of 5G ecosystem. “The frequency range 5.1-5.3 Gigahertz and 5.7-5.8 Ghz is used for wifi services all over the world. It is a highly appreciable move from government to de-licence these bands. The frequency range between 5.3-5.7 Ghz can be used for 5G services,” SN Gupta, secretary general, APT foundation of India under International Telecommunication Union told PTI.

The 5 Ghz spectrum frequency can be used for short range communications like for coverage within an apartment or shopping centres. The government under Bharat Net project is planning to roll out 1 crore Wi-Fi hotspots in the country in rural area. Besides, it is in discussion with telecom operators to roll out Wi-Fi in urban centres too. Freeing of spectrum 5 Ghz range will also facilitate indoor communications services and reduce load on telecom networks. Besides, the government is also planning to start field trials of 5G services to develop its ecosystem in the country. In the notification, the government has clarified the power of device or equipment that should be used for accessing the free spectrum.