COAI calls for ban on illegal sale of Wi-Fi 6E routers in India

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has sought ban on the ‘illegal sale’ of Wi-Fi 6E wireless routers operating on 6 GHz frequency band, by some e-commerce websites and online platforms.

In a letter to Neeraj Mittal, Chairperson – Digital Communications Commission & Secretary – Department of Telecommunications, COAI’s Director General, S P Kochhar has requested the Department to kindly intervene in the matter and take strict measures to put a complete ban on the sale of Wi-Fi products operating in the 6 GHz band, whether offline or online through e-commerce websites/platforms, through an appropriate notification to sellers of such products in the country. The Wi-Fi 6E routers are being made available for consumers by 16 different sellers against the norms set by the Government of India.

“The websites/online platforms are engaged in selling wireless equipment for 6 GHz band utilization, which has not yet been assigned for this purpose or has not been declared as license-exempt by the Government. We would like to submit that DoT is yet to take a policy decision related to the 6 GHz band utilization. Therefore, any sale of such Wi-Fi 6E products, which utilizes the 6 GHz spectrum band in a delicensed manner, is illegal and such sale would only result in unauthorized transmissions in our country,” the letter said.

Kochhar said the utilization of such Wi-Fi devices operating in the 6 GHz band render customers responsible for these unauthorized transmissions, placing the burden of liability on consumers and shifting the onus of responsibility for such unauthorized transmissions from the real offenders to the consumers.

“We earnestly request the Department to kindly intervene in the matter and take strict measures to put a complete ban on the sale of Wi-Fi products operating in the 6 GHz band, whether offline or online through e-commerce websites/platforms, through an appropriate notification to sellers of such products in the country,” he said.

COAI highlighted that the e commerce sites included TP-Link, Amazon, Flipkart, Gadgets Now, Moglix, , Shop The World and Industry Buying; and the popular brands are TP-Link Deco, ALFA, Netgear, and Google Nest.

CT Bureau