The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has formally urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to expedite regulatory amendments permitting standard-power outdoor operations in the lower 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz). This push follows an expert committee recommendation, led by IIT Madras, to allow higher-power outdoor use at 36 dBm—a measure COAI insists must be operationalized without further delay to address persistent last-mile connectivity gaps.
From a business perspective, the core rationale centers on cost-effective infrastructure deployment. Current challenges, including Right-of-Way (RoW) hurdles, limited fiber availability, and high rollout costs, disproportionately affect rural and semi-urban regions.
COAI argues that enabling Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Point-to-Multipoint (P2MP) deployments at standard power would allow service providers to leverage this 500 MHz of delicensed spectrum effectively, bypassing physical fiber constraints where deployment is economically unviable or impractical.
The industry body cautions that restricting the band to low-power indoor use would underutilize a valuable national resource. By unlocking outdoor standard-power operations, the regulatory change is positioned to transform the lower 6 GHz band into a strategic engine for broadband penetration and digital inclusion, enabling authorized entities to deliver high-speed connectivity to underserved homes and enterprises.
Lt. Gen. Dr. S.P. Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said, “COAI has urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India, to expeditiously notify the rule amendments enabling Standard Power operations in the delicensed lower 6 GHz band. The Expert Committee constituted by DoT, led by Prof. Radha Krishna Ganti, IIT Madras, had recommended enabling higher-power outdoor use at 36 dBm in the 5925–6425 MHz band — a recommendation that the industry believes must be implemented without further delay.
India’s broadband sector has progressed significantly, yet last-mile connectivity gaps persist particularly in rural, semi-urban, and difficult-to-reach areas due to Right-of-Way (RoW) challenges, limited fiber availability and high deployment costs. The Expert Committee’s recommendation to permit Standard Power (36 dBm) outdoor use of the lower 6 GHz delicensed band (5925–6425 MHz) remains a practical and cost-effective solution to this challenge — one that is yet to be operationalised through the necessary regulatory notification.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Point-to-Multi-Point (P2MP) deployments at Standard Power are suited for last-mile broadband delivery where fibre penetration is absent, economically unviable or physically impractical. Enabling outdoor Standard Power operations ensures this 500 MHz of valuable delicensed spectrum is fully harnessed in service of national objectives and can be utilized by all service providers.
COAI continues to view this as a landmark development — one that, once implemented, will not only expand broadband coverage but substantially improve broadband utilisation, bringing high-quality, high-speed connectivity to homes, enterprises and institutions that have long remained on the wrong side of the digital divide.
COAI believes limiting this band to low-power indoor use would underutilise its potential. Enabling these operations will ensure that India’s delicensed spectrum serves not just indoor enterprise and consumer Wi-Fi but becomes a genuine engine of rural broadband penetration and digital inclusion.
Several months since the Expert Committee submitted its report, COAI earnestly requests the DoT to expedite the notification of the necessary rule amendments enabling Standard Power (36 dBm) outdoor operations in the lower 6 GHz band (5925-6425 MHz) for P2MP/P2P, so as to enable licensed and authorised entities to deploy these capabilities and bring the transformative benefits of high-quality, affordable broadband to every segment of our society.”
