6,000 Mhz of spectrum identified for 5G services

DoT LIKELY TO CLEAR IDEA, VODAFONE MERGER TODAY

New Delhi, June 17: The 5G committee of the telecom ministry has said that around 6,000 Mhz of spectrum can be made available without delay for the next generation mobile service.

If accepted, the panel’s recommendation, which has been submitted to the government, can lead to India’s largest ever spectrum allocation for a service.

An expert member of the panel, Arogyaswami Paulraj told PTI in an interview that initially the service will enhance mobile data speed in India by up to 50 per cent compared to current levels.

Paulraj is Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, and a pioneer of MIMO wireless communications, a technology break through that enables improved wireless performance. MIMO is now incorporated into all new wireless systems, as per Stanford site.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) is taking strong initiative to make spectrum available for the new service, Paulraj said.

As much as 2,354.55 megahertz (MHz) of frequencies valued at around New Delhi, June 17: The telecom department is likely to approve on Monday the merger of Vodafone India and Idea that will create the country’s largest mobile service operator with proposed name of Vodafone Idea Ltd. “DoT is expected to clear the VodafoneIdea merger on Monday. The certificate will be handed to them,” an official source told PTI.

Idea and Vodafone have decided to combine their operations to create the country’s largest telecom operator worth over $23 billion, with a 35 per cent market share and a subscriber `5.63 lakh crore were put up for grabs in country’s largest ever auction held in 2016. At present mobile phone signals in the country are transmitted in 800 Mhz to 2600 Mhz band.

Now, the panel has spotted spectrum for 5G service across 11 bands of which 4 bands — premium 700 Mhz band, 3.5 gigahertz base of around 430 million. The proposed merger is expected to give breather to both firms Idea and Vodafone, from cut-throat competition in the market where margins have hit rock bottom with free voice calls. The combined debt of both the companies is estimated to be around `1.15 lakh crore.

“The merger will be taken on-record after Idea furnishes required bank guarantee and gives undertaking of owning the liabilities of Vodafone India that may arise in future,” the source said. — PTI (Ghz), 24 Ghz and 28 Ghz band can be made immediately available for the service.

The panel estimates that 5,250 megahertz of spectrum can be made available for 5G services in higher frequency bands, 300 Mhz in 3.5 Ghz band and 405 Mhz spectrum in sub- 1000 Mhz. — PTI