Don’t allot 5G spectrum to system integrators, intermediaries: Telcos to DoT

Kolkata: The fight for 5G spectrum between telcos and tech companies is getting bitter by the day.

Just days after the Cabinet allowed direct spectrum allocation to enterprises for captive private networks, considered a win for tech companies, India’s top telcos have shot off a letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) asking it not to allow direct 5G spectrum allotments to systems integrators and intermediaries, in a clear bid to thwart big tech companies from easy access to the airwaves.

In the letter, also marked to the Prime Minister’s Office, Niti Aayog and the Department of Economic Affairs, operators have also called on the department to ensure that captive private networks are set up strictly by “end users” (read: enterprises or corporates) and not “third parties,” failing which the latter would gain a backdoor entry into telecom services. Tech companies typically function as systems integrators.