BIF urges delicensing of 30 MHz spectrum for road safety tech

Digital transformation think tank and industry body, Broadband India Forum (BIF), has called on the government to urgently delicense 30 MHz of spectrum for road safety tech in the 5.9 GHz band, highlighting that it could play a crucial role in reducing road accidents and fatalities in India.

In a letter addressed to Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia, BIF President TV Ramachandran underscored the life-saving potential of the measure. “We are losing 1.7 lakh lives in road crashes every year. This spectrum can help prevent accidents and save countless lives. It should be delicensed immediately, without waiting for the lengthy consultation process followed by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI),” he said.

According to official figures, India reported 4.62 lakh road crashes and nearly 1.70 lakh deaths in 2023 alone. The socio-economic costs are equally severe: a DIMTS–IIT Delhi study estimated that road accidents impose an annual burden of 3.14% of GDP, accounting for medical costs, property damage, productivity losses, and family hardships.

Globally, the 5.9 GHz band is harmonised for Intelligent Transport Systems, and several countries have rolled out or are piloting V2V technologies. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that widespread V2V adoption could cut accidents by 13%, equivalent to preventing nearly 439,000 crashes each year.

Spectrum Use and Industry Readiness

BIF noted that India has already held extensive consultations on the issue. An inter-ministerial task force established by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in October 2023, chaired by the Telecommunications Engineering Centre, conducted extensive discussions with industry, government, research, and academic stakeholders. The task force, it said, agreed on the urgent need to release the 5.9 GHz band for V2V in a license-exempt manner.

It further noted that the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing has also recommended delicensing 30 MHz in the 5875–5925 MHz range for On-Board Units (OBUs), while suggesting licensing conditions for Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) connectivity. However, BIF cautioned that bundling both together and routing them through TRAI could lead to delays. It stressed that while V2I may appropriately follow a regulatory process, V2V should be cleared for immediate use.

It recommended delicensing the 5875–5905 MHz range, as OBUs enable vehicles to exchange speed, position, and braking data in real-time. Since cars of different makes need to communicate seamlessly, BIF stressed that only a license-exempt band can guarantee interoperability. “A Toyota OBU must talk to a Suzuki OBU. That is only possible if the band is delicensed,” Ramachandran explained.

BIF also pointed out that Indian carmakers, including Mahindra and Tata, have already begun installing OBUs in the 5.9 GHz band. The timely allocation of spectrum for road safety technology, it said, would not only improve safety but also encourage investment, drive indigenous innovation, and align India with global standards under the Digital India and smart city programmes.