5G Spectrum Auction Soon? Space Department, Defence Ministry Likely To Vacate 5G Airwaves

In a boost for roll out of 5G services in the country, the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Space have agreed to vacate airwaves in the 3,300-3,600 MHz band, which will be used by the 5G networks, reports Economic Times.

The development comes as the Telecom Department and the two aforementioned ministries settled a long-standing dispute over the 5G airwaves.

According to the report, the Defence Ministry and the Space Department are likely to vacate 125 MHz spectrum in the 3,300-3,600 MHz range.

“Over the last few weeks, there have been inter-ministerial meetings, and the two departments holding 125 units in the 3,300-3,600 MHz band spectrum are likely to vacate it as per conditions,” a government official was quoted as saying.

It should be noted that the Defence Ministry is currently using the 3,300-3,400 MHz band while the 3,400-3,425 MHz band is with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

However, the ISRO has demanded that no 5G telecom tower should be deployed in a range of about 10 km from its satellite hubs. The space agency reportedly wants to protect the satellite hubs from interference caused by the 5G signals.

The DoT aims to put 300 MHz of airwaves for sale to enable seamless 5G services by the incumbent telecom operators. The department had in the past urged the defence ministry and ISRO to vacate the 125 MHz of airwaves and suggested the ministry to use 3,000-3,100 MHz.

The development comes as the government had last year constituted a committee to resolve contentious inter-ministerial spectrum-related issues.

The freeing of 125 MHz airwaves will pave the way for the Telecom Department to auction the 5G spectrum.