Big Tech Warns TRAI Against Auctioning Upper 6 GHz Band, Cites Performance Gaps

India’s plans to auction the upper 6 GHz spectrum for mobile services have drawn strong objections from global technology giants. Companies including Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Cisco Systems, Meta Platforms, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Intel have urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to exclude the upper 6 GHz band from the upcoming spectrum sale, calling the move premature and potentially wasteful.

In a joint submission to TRAI, these companies said the spectrum ranges 6425–6725 MHz and 7025–7125 MHz should not be allocated for IMT (mobile broadband) use at this stage. Their primary concern: the global mobile ecosystem is not technically or commercially ready for this band.

Concerns Over Technical Readiness

The companies highlighted early trial results that showed significant performance limitations. According to them, the upper 6 GHz band is currently facing unresolved issues in:

• Uplink capacity

• Indoor reliability

These challenges, they said, are directly linked to service quality and could severely limit the band’s effectiveness for mobile networks if rushed into auctions.

The joint statement warned that moving ahead despite these limitations could cause a “spectrum stall”, where the band remains unused or under-utilised for years due to a lack of compatible devices, infrastructure, and commercial demand.

Lack of Global Adoption Cited as Key Risk

The tech companies added that global demand for the upper 6 GHz band is weak, citing Hong Kong’s recent auction — the world’s first commercial sale of this band — as a clear indication.

In Hong Kong:

• The auction saw low participation

• Bidders showed minimal willingness to pay premiums

• Some spectrum went unsold

One major operator, Hutchison, chose not to participate at all. Its reason, as cited by the companies, the IMT ecosystem for this band is immature, with no compelling use cases and adequate existing spectrum already available to meet current needs.

This example, they argued, illustrates the risk India faces if it proceeds with auctioning the band ahead of global readiness.

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Risk of Under-Utilisation for Years

The companies said that auctioning spectrum that lacks a global ecosystem—such as compatible devices, mobile chipsets, network equipment, or proven deployment models—could leave operators struggling to make use of the band.

They warned that without readiness on both technical and commercial fronts, this could result in:

• Under-utilised spectrum

• Low operator interest

• Delayed deployment

• Poor return on investment for buyers

The joint submission emphasised that mobile operators globally are not prioritising upper 6 GHz for active deployment, and therefore, India risks allocating airwaves that may remain idle.

Call for TRAI to Exclude the Band from Upcoming Auction

The companies collectively urged TRAI to defer any decision on auctioning the upper 6 GHz band, stressing that a cautious approach would be more aligned with current global trends.

According to their submission, excluding the band for now would allow:

• More time for global equipment ecosystems to mature

• Further trials to resolve uplink and indoor performance issues

• Clearer commercial use cases to emerge

• Better alignment with international developments in spectrum policy

They reiterated that the technical issues, ecosystem gaps, and lack of global support make the upper 6 GHz band unsuitable for India’s upcoming IMT auction.

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