A draft report from the Bharat 6G Alliance, proposing the use of the 6GHz band for telecom operators in 6G services, has sparked opposition from tech companies and broadband service providers. The report, which is yet to be publicly released, identifies the 6GHz band due to its extensive contiguous bandwidth, stating that it can “enhance coverage and capacity in urban and suburban areas,” making it a strong candidate for 6G deployment. The report refers to the 6 to 8.4 GHz spectrum as a “Golden Band” for 6G success in India, recommending a comprehensive study for its use by mobile operators.
Additionally, the report calls for an in-depth review of current spectrum allocation, both licensed and unlicensed, to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for optimization. It also points to the extended C band (3700-4200 MHz) as a potential 6G candidate, suggesting further research into whether satellite-based broadcasting can coexist or be migrated from this band.
However, broadband companies and tech giants such as Google and Meta, represented by the Broadband India Forum (BIF), have opposed the recommendation to license the contentious 6GHz spectrum band (5925-7025 MHz) for telecom service providers. In a note to the Spectrum Working Group and Bharat 6G Alliance, BIF expressed frustration, stating that their “consistent and repeated inputs” on prioritizing the 6GHz band for advanced WiFi technologies like WiFi 6E and 7 “have fallen on deaf ears.”
The report acknowledges that the lower 6GHz band, typically used for WiFi, has no prior usage precedent in international mobile telecommunications (IMT).
