COAI Urges Department of Telecom to Notify Rules for Standard Power Outdoor Use of Lower 6 GHz Band

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Tuesday called upon the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to expedite rule amendments that would permit standard power operations in the delicensed lower 6 GHz band.

This appeal follows a recommendation by an Expert Committee established by the DoT and led by Radha Krishna Ganti of IIT Madras. The committee recommended enabling higher-power outdoor use at 36 dBm in the 5925-6425 MHz band. According to the COAI, several months have passed since the committee submitted its report, and the industry believes the recommendation should be implemented without further delay.

SP Kochhar, Director General of the COAI, stated that last-mile connectivity gaps continue to persist in rural, semi-urban, and hard-to-reach areas. These challenges are primarily driven by right-of-way issues, limited fibre availability, and high deployment costs. Kochhar noted that standard power outdoor use offers a practical and cost-effective solution to bridge these gaps.

Deployments utilizing fixed wireless access and point-to-multipoint networks at standard power are well-suited for last-mile delivery, especially in regions where fibre deployment is absent, unviable, or impractical. The industry body argues that enabling these operations will ensure the full utilization of the 500 MHz of delicensed spectrum, allowing it to be accessed by all service providers.

The COAI cautioned that restricting the band solely to low-power indoor use would result in its underutilization. The association wants the spectrum to extend beyond indoor enterprise and consumer wi-fi to actively support rural broadband and digital inclusion efforts across India.

Consequently, the industry body has urged the telecom department to speed up the formulation of rules for point-to-multipoint and point-to-point operations, enabling licensed and authorized entities to deploy the capability effectively.

"The push by COAI to utilize the lower 6 GHz band for standard power outdoor use highlights a critical infrastructure need in India's digital economy. Addressing last-mile connectivity challenges through cost-effective alternatives like fixed wireless access can significantly accelerate rural broadband penetration. For businesses and technology providers operating in semi-urban and rural markets, the timely implementation of these spectrum rules will be essential to scaling digital services efficiently." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes