Remember the buzz back in May? The air was thick with anticipation as India seemed poised to usher in a new era of ultra-fast connectivity. The news (Paywalled) that India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was considering de-licensing a significant portion of the 6 GHz spectrum band for Wi-Fi was met with widespread excitement. Industry experts lauded it as a game-changer, predicting it would unleash a wave of innovation and economic activity, driving a much-needed Wi-Fi infrastructure refresh across the nation. Manufacturers, eager to launch the latest Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices, saw a clear path to market, promising consumers unparalleled speeds and seamless experiences.
The economic implications were huge. Delicensing the 6 GHz band was expected to catalyze substantial investment in new Wi-Fi hardware – routers, access points, and client devices – as businesses and homes upgraded to harness the immense capacity of these new standards. Estimates pointed to billions of dollars in potential economic value, driven by enhanced productivity, new service offerings, and a burgeoning digital economy. India, with its massive and growing internet user base, stood to gain tremendously from this digital dividend.
However, the optimistic glow has dimmed considerably. The deadline for de-licensing the 6 GHz band has come and gone, not with a bang, but with a whimper. Instead of a decisive move, the DoT has opted for caution, forming a new committee to conduct further technical and field studies. The stated reason? To assess potential interference risks with existing terrestrial and satellite networks. While prudence is understandable, this deferral has left the industry in limbo, essentially pressing the pause button on India’s Wi-Fi 7 ambitions.
This delay is particularly impactful when considering how heavily mobile device traffic actually relies on Wi-Fi, not cellular data. It’s a common misconception that our smartphones and tablets are constantly chugging away on 4G or 5G networks. In reality, a significant majority of mobile data consumption occurs over Wi-Fi. Think about it: when you’re at home, in the office, at a café, or even in many public spaces, your device automatically connects to Wi-Fi. This is because users are typically indoors and within close proximity to a Wi-Fi access point. Wi-Fi offers a more cost-effective, often faster, and less battery-intensive connection for data-heavy activities like streaming video, large downloads, or video calls.
The reliance on Wi-Fi is precisely why access to adequate, unencumbered spectrum for the latest standards like Wi-Fi 7 is so critical. Without the 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 7 devices in India will be unable to deliver their full potential. They’ll be relegated to operating on the already crowded 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, limiting their potential and undermining the very reason for their existence – to provide next-gen wireless capacity and speed.
The formation of this new DoT committee, while perhaps necessary for a thorough evaluation, signals a significant setback for India’s aspirations to be at the forefront of wireless innovation. The global trend is clear: over 100 countries have already moved to de-license the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi. India’s delay not only risks falling behind technologically but also stifles the potential for a vibrant, competitive, and economically impactful Wi-Fi ecosystem that could benefit millions of its citizens and businesses. The dream of a truly ubiquitous, high-speed Wi-Fi network across India, powered by Wi-Fi 7, now waits patiently in the wings.
