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C&M E-Alert: Draft Rules on the Use of Low Power and Very Low Power Wireless Access System including Radio Local Area Network in Lower 6 GHz band (Exemption from Licensing Requirement)

  • Writer: Sujoy Bhatia
    Sujoy Bhatia
  • May 26
  • 2 min read
Legal Updates
Legal Updates

WHAT IS THE DEVELOPMENT?

On 16 May 2025, the Ministry of Communications notified the draft of the ‘Use of Low Power and Very Low Power Wireless Access System including Radio Local Area Network in Lower 6 GHz band (Exemption from Licensing Requirement) Rules, 2025’ (the “Draft Rules”).

The Draft Rules have been issued for objections or suggestions from the public, to be sent to the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, on or before 14 June 2025. The Draft Rules propose a delicensing framework for the lower half of the 6GHz band, i.e., the 5925-6425 MHz band. The 6GHz Wi-Fi spectrum band concerns the frequency range between 5.925 GHz and 7.125 GHz. Currently, a major portion of the global Wi-Fi infrastructure is based on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. When compared to these bands, the 6GHz band offers faster data transfer rates and lower latency, i.e., the time taken to transfer data from point A to point B.


KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The Draft Rules aim to enhance Wi-Fi broadband capabilities for indoor operations. The following are some key highlights:


  1. Delicensing the 6 GHz spectrum: The Government has proposed to open up a 500 MHz portion of the 6 GHz spectrum (5925-6425 MHz) for license-free use, possibly opening up channels for the establishment, maintenance, operation, possession and dealing in wireless equipment with faster Wi-Fi speeds. This relaxation extends to removing the requirement for authorisation or frequency assignment for low and very low power wireless systems as Wi-Fi-based Radio Local Area Networks (RLANs).

 

  1. Technical Parameters: The Draft Rules stipulate technical standards that devices must meet to qualify for the exemptions. The limits are set to ensure coexistence with other users and prevent harmful interference.

    • Low Power Indoor Devices: Maximum power output capped at 30 dBm (decibel-milliwatts), with a maximum power spectral density (PSD) of 5 dBm/MHz and maximum emission bandwidth of 320 MHz. Out-of-band emissions are capped at minus 27 dBm/MHz.


    • Very Low Power Outdoor Devices: Maximum power output capped at 14 dBm, with a maximum PSD of minus 5 dBm/MHz and the same bandwidth and out-of-band emission limits as indoor devices.

  2. 6Ghz usage limitations: The Draft Rules prohibit: (i) usage on oil platforms, (ii) indoor use on land vehicles (e.g., cars, trains), boats, or aircraft, except when aircraft are flying above 10,000 feet, and (iii) communication with or control of drones and unmanned aerial systems.


  3. Support for Advanced Wi-Fi Technologies: The proposed delicensing is expected to boost next-generation Wi-Fi technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, which can deliver speeds up to 9.6 Gbps. This will support data-intensive applications such as AR/VR, IoT and smart-home technologies.


  4. Alignment with different jurisdictions: The proposed delicensing regime aims to align India with a similar regime in more than 60 countries including the US, Canada, countries in the EU, Japan, etc. (a list of which is available here). The mentioned countries have already adopted the 6GHz band for unlicensed Wi-Fi use (some of the countries have adopted either the lower band (5925-6425 MHz) or the entire available band (5925-7125 MHz) of the 6GHz Wi-Fi spectrum).




For specific guidance on how these changes affect your business, please contact our team:




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