US eager to work with India on 6GHz band

THE US is eager to work with India to harness the benefits of the powerful 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and towards global harmonisation of this spectrum, Ajit Pai, the top American communications regulatory official has said.

Addressing to the US-India Business Council webinar on creating alignment in the 5G Ecosystem, Pai, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said, ‘during my visit to India in February, I had a good discussion with Indian officials about our 6 GHz efforts, so I know that India is interested in exploring the possibilities of unlicensed use in this band.’

‘I’m eager to work with my Indian counterparts and other leaders around the world to harness the benefits of the 6 GHz band for Wi-Fi and then work together toward global harmonisation of this spectrum,’ the senior Indian-American official said.

Ultimately, Wi-Fi 6 and 5G will complement each other nicely and form a powerful 1-2 punch of licensed and unlicensed innovation, he told the virtual audience.

Asserting that the partnership between the US and India will be the defining one of the 21st century, Pai said that over the past three-plus years, it’s been gratifying to see the bonds between the US and India grow stronger and stronger.

‘We saw the vitality of this special friendship on full display this past February,’ he said, referring to the historic visit of the US President Donald Trump to India in February. He was part of the US delegation.

‘From my bilateral visits with my counterparts in the Indian government to the state banquet at Rashtrapati Bhavan and conversations with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, the energy and excitement was incredible,’ he said.

‘The trip left me with an even deeper appreciation of the common values our countries share and an even stronger determination to help bring the world’s oldest and largest democracies even closer together,’ Pai said.

Reiterating that the US and India share not only a set of common values, he said the two countries also share strategic interests.

‘We are both deeply committed to harnessing the power of communications technology to promote mutual growth and prosperity for our people. And we both deeply value the importance of connecting all of our citizens. That means, in part, unlocking the power and potential of 5G technology,’ he said.