COAI backs GSMA’s push for 6GHz band allocation in India’s 5G expansion

In order to assist the spread of 5G mobile services and boost the nation's telecom competitiveness, the GSMA has encouraged India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to include the 6GHz band (6.425-7.125GHz) in the next spectrum auction.

Commenting on the recent recommendation made by the GSMA to DoT, Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI said, “COAI upholds the recent recommendation made by the GSMA to DoT for including the 6 GHz spectrum band in India’s next spectrum auction. Ensuring adequate mid-band spectrum availability for IMT services is crucial to achieving the Government’s vision for Digital India and strengthening India’s position as a global leader in 5G and future telecom technologies."

Kocchar added, "COAI has consistently asked for the release of additional spectrum to enhance network capacity, improve service quality and meet the exponential growth in data demand. Allocating the 6 GHz band for IMT services will provide telecom operators with the necessary resources to drive innovation, expand rural connectivity and support emerging technologies such as AI, IoT and cloud computing. As mentioned by GSMA, the 6.425-7.125 GHz range has been identified for IMT at WRC-23 by several countries and is going to be essential for 5G expansion and future development of mobile networks while further supporting India’s ambition to become a global hub for advanced telecom technologies. We are completely aligned with the GSMA’s viewpoint and want to reiterate that insufficient spectrum in mid-bands for the IMT services would imply extreme densification to meet the mobile broadband demand of the county."

The GSMA highlighted that giving telecom operators access to the 6GHz band is essential to bolstering India's digital economy and preserving its competitive advantage in the global telecom market. As 5G adoption and data traffic increase, there will likely be a greater need for mid-band spectrum.

The decision to refarm more spectrum across 10 bands, including 470MHz and 6GHz, for 5G mobile services and 6G research and development needs was recently made by the Union Cabinet, which prompted the appeal. Currently, departments like space, defence, information and broadcasting, and railroads employ portions of the 6GHz band. 

Regarding GSMA’s recent viewpoint on 6GHz spectrum band in India, Kochhar further added, "this also aligns with the recent announcement made by the Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya M Scindia in January 2025 at the DIGICOM Summit 2025, that the Cabinet has approved the reallocation of 687 MHZ of spectrum for IMT. We are thankful to the Hon’ble Minister for clearly mentioning that the Cabinet has already allocated the spectrum that takes our holding to 320 MHz in the first phase, thus leaving a deficit of around 400 MHz, which should be made up in the subsequent submissions by the Committee of Secretaries, to the cabinet. This will enable rollout and providing of better 5G services to the entire nation at large, which is the broad aim of the Government and the industry."

COAI also urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to take forward the recommendations made by GSMA and ensure a balanced spectrum policy that maximizes economic growth while safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders.