Telcos want free 5G bandwidth to beef up wireline connectivity

New Delhi: Telecom companies have urged the government to allot necessary 5G bandwidth for free to augment wireline connectivity in the wake of a surge in demand for data and voice services amid the lockdown forced by Covid-19. Bharti Infratel chairman Akhil Gupta said given the capacity constraints in 4G cellular networks “the government should provide the necessary and requisite bandwidth under 5G in the 3500 MHz free of cost to the four service providers”. Speaking at a digital round-table discussion organised by ET Telecom, Gupta said such a move would augment high-bandwidth connectivity through fixed telephony at homes. Bharti Infratel is a telecom infrastructure company of Bharti Enterprises, which also runs Bharti Airtel.

Prashant Singhal, emerging markets TMT leader at EY, said allocation of sub-3500 MHz 5G spectrum free of cost can help bring “infrastructure, which is affordable for people at large”. “It is important that the ecosystem comes together to provide digital infrastructure Indians need in this new world,” he said. The comments come in the backdrop of the industry terming the government’s starting price of 5G airwaves in the 3300-3600 MHz band — ₹492 crore per unit — for the next cellular bandwidth auctions “too expensive”.