5G will not allow direct spectrum allocation: BIF

As India is working on for 5G spectrum auction which has been scheduled for next month, the Broadband India Forum has stated that they will not allow direct spectrum allocation to the enterprises, as it will be anti-competitive and only favour the telecom operators of India. "The Section 2.4 of the NIA on CNPN has laid down the principle that a CNPN can be set up in any of the four possible ways, including the one where CNPNs for non-telecom verticals may obtain the spectrum directly from DoT and establish their own isolated network," read the BIF letter. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, in its recommendations, has also clearly stated the rationale for including direct allocation of spectrum to non-telecom verticals/enterprises for captive private 5G networks. According to TV Ramachandran, President, BIF, if media reports are taken to be true, "these guidelines would surely distort competition and go against the essence of the Cabinet decision as well as the NIA dated 15th June 2022, wherein there was no indication that the options for incumbents to offer these services first were to be facilitated".