Govt frees spectrum forWiFi, 5G in 5 GHz band from licence

The government has freed a set of spectrum in the 5 GHz band from licensing for providing Wifi and partially 5G services by telecom companies.

No permits would be required for the spectrum in the range of 5,150-5,250 megahertz band, 5,250-5,350 MHz and 5725-5875 MHz, according to an official notification.

“No licence shall be required under indoor and outdoor environment to establish, maintain, work, possess or deal in any wireless equipment for the purpose of low power wireless access systems, including radio local area networks operating in the frequency band 5,150-5,250 MHz; 5,250-5,350 MHz; 5,470-5,725 MHz; and 5,725-5,875 MHz,” the government notification said.

The move is seen to push setting up of Wifi services in the country and facilitate development of 5G ecosystem.

“The frequency range 5.1-5.3 Gigahertz and 5.7-5.8 GHz is used for wifi services all over the world. It is a highly appreciable move from government to de-licence these bands. The frequency range between 5.3-5.7 GHz can be used for 5G services,” SN Gupta, secretary general, APT foundation of India under International Telecommunication Union told

The 5 GHz spectrum frequency can be used for short range communications like for coverage within an apartment or shopping centres.