Indian Telcos Raise Complaint Against US Tech Giants
Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have filed formal complaints with the government against major US technology companies including Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Meta, HP and Intel. The telecom operators claim these companies are causing financial loss to Indian telcos and the exchequer through their position on the 6 GHz spectrum band.
Dispute Over The 6 GHz Band
The disagreement centres on the 6425–7125 MHz spectrum range. Indian telecom firms argue that this band is essential for future 5G and upcoming 6G services, and auctioning it would bring significant revenue to the government.
Meanwhile, the tech firms want a substantial portion of this frequency to be delicensed for Wi-Fi use, stating that mobile deployments in the upper 6 GHz band are not yet commercially viable. Telcos say this would undermine India’s licensed spectrum ecosystem.
Possible Impact On Industry And Revenue
Operators warn that allocating the band for unlicensed use could limit mobile broadband capacity and reduce the government’s auction revenue potential. They also argue that it may unfairly benefit global tech companies while slowing India’s digital network expansion.
Next Steps For Decision Making
The telecom regulator and the Department of Telecommunications will examine submissions from both sides before deciding on spectrum allocation or delicense policies.
