Tug-of-War for mmWave can further delay 5G Spectrum Auction

In yet another move in the mmWave tussle that has been going on in the industry, Reliance Jio has opposed a move to fragment the mmWave band. The move, under consideration by the government, sought to divide the crucial band between telecom and satcom players. If this remains unresolved, the argument over mmWave can further delay the 5G spectrum auction.

mmWave Remains a Bone of Contention

The government was considering offering only a part of the mmWave spectrum for auction, between 24.5 and 28.5 GHz. Notably, 3GPP has standardized the mmWave band up to 29.5 GHz for telcos. The government will earmark the remaining 1 GHz of the band for satcom companies. Incidentally, the satcom companies have also asked the government to give the spectrum administratively, rather than the auction.

If the government goes through with it, the total spectrum available for telcos for 5G will reduce by a bit. According to this process, the government will first sell off the mid-band spectrum, and then take the decision on mmWave. However, the pricing game has just only started, after DoT submitted its references to TRAI.

As such, Reliance Jio has asked the DoT to not through with it. The telco has said that if this happens, it might derail government efforts to revitalize the telecom sector, and the 5G rollout with it. Adding to this, the COAI has earlier said that the satcom companies' demand to take mmWave for themselves is not legal. The industry body also cited the Supreme Court's scrapping of administrative spectrum allocation in favor of spectrum auctions.

Telcos have said that they need at least 1 GHz of mmWave per operator in the beginning to build an efficient network. Further, as the networks mature, they will need a total of 2 GHz spectrum per operator in mmWave. They also claimed that if the government reserves a part for satcom, telcos can't build an efficient 5G network. They also reiterate that the DoT committee set up in 2017 had earmarked the entire band for mobile services.

Satcom's mmWave Bid

Historically, though, satcom players have used the mmWave band for all communications, including delivering connectivity. As such, they, especially the legacy satcom players, feel that India should do the same.

OneWeb and Starlink are the two new kids on the satcom block, and they seek entry in India's satcom space. The former has been pushing for administrative allocation, citing global patterns. Generally, satellite companies need multiple bands to communicate with the ground stations and customers.

K Krishna, VP and CTO, Hughes Communications India, had earlier said, “we did meet the DoT secretary on this spectrum when we learnt that it was being decided to give away 50% of these valuable airwaves for 5G”. He added, “this spectrum can’t be suddenly taken away as that will certainly hurt satellite interests”.

Anil Prakash, DG, SIA-India, who was present in the meeting with the DoT secretary, said ITU had “twice rejected” designating any portion of the 28 GHz band for 5G. Slicing off this spectrum will rapidly reduce the serving capacity of satellite systems, he said.

For telcos, the mmWave band might prove as a crucial ingredient to build powerful 5G networks, and monetize it via use cases. The band also provides the capacity required for enhanced mobile broadband and ultra-low latency. For satcom operators, mmWave remains the only way they can operate.

The lack of clarity has seen discussion on a potential Spectrum Act to solve these issues once and for all. However, any such legislation would also take time to formulate and get implemented.