Why Apple, Meta are opposing Jio's demand for 6GHz spectrum
What's the story
Leading US tech giants Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Meta, HP, and Intel Corporation have opposed Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea's demand for spectrum allocation in the 6 gigahertz (GHz) band for mobile services. The companies want the entire 6GHz band to be allocated solely for Wi-Fi services. They argue that this frequency range is not technically or commercially ready for mobile use.
TRAI response
US tech giants respond to TRAI's consultation paper
The US tech giants have submitted a joint response to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s consultation paper for the upcoming spectrum auction. They said, "We do not recommend setting timelines for any future auction of the 6425-6725 MHz and 7025-7125 MHz ranges for IMT." The companies also suggested that any unused upper 6 GHz spectrum should be made available for unlicensed use in the interim.
Auction details
Government's stance on 6 GHz spectrum allocation
The Indian government has announced that 400 MHz of frequencies in the 6GHz band are available for auction. Further, 300 MHz will be available by 2030 and 500 MHz will be delicensed for low power applications such as Wi-Fi services. Reliance Jio has sought the inclusion of the entire 1,200 MHz available spectrum in the upcoming auction despite these government plans.
Telecom positions
Vodafone Idea and Airtel's stance on 6 GHz band
Vodafone Idea has asked for 400 MHz of the available spectrum to be put up for sale in the upcoming auction. Meanwhile, Airtel has requested a delay in the auction due to ecosystem readiness challenges such as device availability, network equipment, and global harmonization. US-based chipset major Qualcomm echoed Airtel's views and stressed that deferring these auctions would safeguard India's future in 6G technology.
COAI opposition
Cellular Operators Association of India opposes delicensing
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which includes Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea among its members, has opposed the delicensing of the 6 GHz band. It argued that licensed IMT spectrum ensures quality-of-service, predictable performance, and nationwide scalability—elements crucial for Digital Bharat and 6G applications such as connected mobility. The COAI warned that even partial delicensing would be an irreversible action limiting India's long-term digital capacity.