Now Reading: Telcos urge DoT to allow high-power use of 6 GHz band
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Telcos urge DoT to allow high-power use of 6 GHz band
The Story in Brief
Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, through the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), have urged the Department of Telecommunications to notify rule amendments enabling standard-power outdoor use of the lower 6 GHz band (5925-6425 MHz) at 36 dBm, according to reports from Livemint, the Economic Times and the Times of India on 27 October.
An expert committee chaired by IIT Madras Professor Radha Krishna Ganti had recommended the move, which COAI said must be implemented without further delay. COAI Director General S. P. Kochhar said the change would help expand broadband in rural and semi-urban areas where fibre deployment faces right-of-way challenges and high costs.
The government opened the lower 6 GHz band to licence-free low-power indoor use earlier in 2026. However, it has not yet decided on higher-power outdoor use, with the Indian Space Research Organisation warning of potential interference with satellite operations. DoT did not respond to queries on Tuesday.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All three outlets report the telcos' request and the expert committee's recommendation in a near-identical wire-style manner, attributing the core demand to COAI and quoting Kochhar extensively. Livemint alone includes the Isro interference concern and an independent analyst's warning that high-power commercial use could crowd out ordinary Wi-Fi users, offering the only counterpoint in otherwise uniform coverage. The Economic Times and Times of India stick to the industry plea without mentioning opposition. The balanced reading is that the request is on the table, but the government has yet to act, and the satellite-interference issue remains unresolved. The next step is DoT's regulatory notification, which COAI has asked to be expedited.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): livemint.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
