Several major U.S. technology companies—Apple, Amazon, Meta, Cisco, HP and Intel—have jointly opposed Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea’s demand for allocating parts of the 6GHz spectrum band for mobile services. They have urged the government to reserve the entire band exclusively for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed uses, arguing that mobile technologies for this frequency range are not yet mature.
In their submission to Trai’s consultation on the next spectrum auction, these firms said the 6GHz band is neither technically nor commercially ready for mobile networks. They recommended that Trai and the Department of Telecommunications wait until WRC-27 finalises global decisions on the upper 6GHz and the 7.125–8.4GHz ranges. Any unused portion of the upper 6GHz band, they added, should be made temporarily available for unlicensed applications.
Meanwhile, the government has indicated that 400 MHz of spectrum in this band is ready for auction, another 300 MHz will be released by 2030, and 500 MHz is set aside for low-power Wi-Fi. Jio wants the entire 1200 MHz included in the upcoming auction, while Vodafone Idea wants at least the immediately available 400 MHz put up for sale. Airtel has asked for a delay, citing lack of device and ecosystem readiness.
Qualcomm also backed postponing the auction, stressing the upper 6GHz band’s importance for India’s future 6G roadmap and pointing to similar global deliberations.
On the other hand, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)—representing Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea—opposed opening the band for unlicensed use, warning that it could undermine India’s digital ambitions. COAI argued that licensed mobile spectrum is essential for nationwide coverage, reliable connectivity and next-generation applications, and cautioned that delicensing could permanently bar the band from future mobile broadband use while reducing government revenues and favouring foreign tech companies.
