First thing’s first, there’s no clarity on whether India will go ahead with the 5Gi (TSDSI) or 5G (3GPP) standards. While that remains to be seen, one interesting thing that a lot of people will wonder about is the 5G bands that the Indian Telecom operators will want in their bag to offer the best network services. It is absolutely clear that operators will want the frequency bands from the government they are currently testing their networks with. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had provided Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Bharti Airtel with spectrum in various frequency bands to test their 5G networks. The telcos would naturally want the spectrum in the auction that they have tested their networks with. This will help them in delivering their promise of several use cases such as cloud gaming, Internet of Things (IoT) applications and more.
5G Bands That Telcos Will Want
One of the most promising spectrum bands for the Indian Telecom operators is the 3.5 GHz band. It is ideal for launching 5G services. It will not only ensure sufficient coverage but will also help in delivering high speeds because of the higher frequency. At the same time, the telcos would want the millimetre wavelength spectrum in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands. This will help them in delivering even higher download speeds, but these frequency bands will only be used for delivering specific use cases. But to ensure that their network coverage is really exceptional, the telcos would feel happy if they got the 700 MHz spectrum for an affordable price as well. If the price is not right, the telcos will not go for the spectrum bands, and this will not only affect the government’s revenues but will also affect the way people consume 5G services in India. The 5G spectrum auctions are expected to take place early next year. It will be an interesting thing to see which operator spends how much on the airwaves.
