According to a report in the Economic Times, India’s leading telecom operator Reliance Jio has asked the government and industry regulators to ensure that operators have enough spectrum.
Speaking at the 7th ETTelecom 5G|6G Congress 2024 |6G Congress 2024, Jio President Mathew Oommen said India has the lowest amount of spectrum per subscriber compared to any country in the world. “I would like to remind our regulators and policymakers how India can improve its spectrum pipeline, as our carriers operate in more bandwidth per subscriber than anywhere else in the world, especially in the sub-10GHz spectrum. I really urge you to look at how fast we need to go. We’re going to fall behind in some way,” Oommen said.
Oommen also called on the government to take steps to prevent rampant fiber cutting and punish those responsible. Telecom industry body COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India), whose members include Airtel, Relince Jio and Vodafone-Idea, recently wrote to the government with a similar request.
“We are asking policymakers in each state to work together to ensure that no one destroys this critical communications infrastructure with impunity,” Oommen said. He added: “Cutting fiber optics and destroying critical communications infrastructure is no longer just something to be ridiculed for; it must have legitimate consequences.”
Mr Oomen called for tough action, saying the telecommunications industry was extremely capital intensive and it was important that investments in communications and assets were protected at all times. He said carriers cannot provide reliable connectivity in such conditions and cannot afford to continually repair and deploy new fiber in the face of continued disconnections.
His comments also come as the Indian government kicks off plans to launch India’s second 5G spectrum auction from May 20. The government plans to auction 10.5GHz 5G spectrum in eight bands.
Speaking at the 7th ETTelecom 5G|6G Congress 2024 |6G Congress 2024, Jio President Mathew Oommen said India has the lowest amount of spectrum per subscriber compared to any country in the world. “I would like to remind our regulators and policymakers how India can improve its spectrum pipeline, as our carriers operate in more bandwidth per subscriber than anywhere else in the world, especially in the sub-10GHz spectrum. I really urge you to look at how fast we need to go. We’re going to fall behind in some way,” Oommen said.
Oommen also called on the government to take steps to prevent rampant fiber cutting and punish those responsible. Telecom industry body COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India), whose members include Airtel, Relince Jio and Vodafone-Idea, recently wrote to the government with a similar request.
“We are asking policymakers in each state to work together to ensure that no one destroys this critical communications infrastructure with impunity,” Oommen said. He added: “Cutting fiber optics and destroying critical communications infrastructure is no longer just something to be ridiculed for; it must have legitimate consequences.”
Mr Oomen called for tough action, saying the telecommunications industry was extremely capital intensive and it was important that investments in communications and assets were protected at all times. He said carriers cannot provide reliable connectivity in such conditions and cannot afford to continually repair and deploy new fiber in the face of continued disconnections.
His comments also come as the Indian government kicks off plans to launch India’s second 5G spectrum auction from May 20. The government plans to auction 10.5GHz 5G spectrum in eight bands.
