The clash between India’s leading telecoms and the forum of tech companies (Broadband India Forum) has stepped up on the issue of direct 5G spectrum allocation to corporations. Tech corporations have discarded a significant claim of telecom companies that the start of private 5G networks would swindle the precious enterprise service revenues and destroy the 5G business in India.
The Forum including members like Meta, Amazon and TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) etc., has said that private networks are making a significant profit for the government and allocating 5G spectrum to establish private networks is not a security threat to 5G business because the networks are independent and vary from telecom networks.
Broadband Forum of India has highlighted in a position paper that the government should have a progressive approach towards the use and development of the technology. While insisting the government to reserve a fixed amount of spectrum for private 5G networks in each spectrum band.
“Allow direct allocation of spectrum to enterprises/organisations at a nominal administrative fee, as per global best practices,” the Forum said. “Facilitate a light-touch online portal based paperless regime for acquiring permission/licence for ‘Captive Wireless Private Network (CWPN)’ within 30 days of application, (as recommended by Trai) to enable ease of doing business”, the body ruled by tech companies added to the statement.
The BIF claimed that public networks cannot match the efficiency level required and private networks enterprises are the best option for private 5G networks. The Forum reported that the perception that spectrum can be allocated only via auction is incorrect and untruthful, referring to guidelines issued by the honourable Supreme Court in 2012 on spectrum allotment.
