Telcos Oppose DoT Plan on Direct Network Allocation

Say move would be detrimental to national security, hit revenues

- GULVEEN AULAKH

Indian telcos have opposed a proposal from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on allotting airwaves for private 5G networks through direct allocation.

According to them, such a move would be detrimental to national security and result in the exclusion of revenue that would have come from auctioning these airwaves.

Reiterating their views on the matter, the carriers have argued that deployment of private 5G networks independently would be costlier for companies. This is because they would have to spend significantly on equipment, spectrum management, security, network maintenance, and skilled personnel, besides regular upgradation of technology, which would again require investments.

They added that captive non-public 5G networks (CNPNs) should be permitted through licensed telecom operators only through spectrum leasing or network slicing.

A CNPN is a communication network meant for an enterprise or entity's own use and not for public use.