GSMA asks govt to work on allocation of 6 GHz band spectrum

Global telecom industry body GSM Association has urged the Department of Telecom to earmark 6000 megahertz spectrum frequency band for 5G services to support the expansion of services in future.

The government has auctioned spectrum frequency in the 3300-3670 Mhz band, known as mid-band, which was identified as most suitable band for 5G.

The GSMA estimates that during the 2025-30 timeframe, the total spectrum demand for mid-bands will be approximately 2000 megahertz per market to fulfil the requirements for 5G, the association said in a letter to the DoT.

“…due to limited spectrum in 3.5 GHz for IMT (5G) due to existing users, many governments and regulators are considering steps to increase their mid-band spectrum assignments in 6 GHz band for IMT,” GSMA said.

The global telecom body, whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea from India, submitted that as 5G needs significantly more mid-band spectrum for various use cases in the 2025-2030 timeframe, there is an urgent need for the government to support new harmonised bands for IMT including 6 GHz, at regional and international platforms. PTI