New Delhi: The Telecom Department has started the process to reassess fresh spectrum demand for captive non-public networks, also known as 5G private networks, according to an official memorandum.
This is the second such exercise by the Department of Telecom after issuing a provision for 5G private networks in June 2022.
"The Department has decided to assess a fresh demand for spectrum in various prospective frequency bands and carry out a demand survey, through the Saral Sanchar portal to identify the prospective frequency bands for the direct assignment of spectrum for CNPN (captive non-public network) based services," the memorandum dated June 30 said.
CNPN providers can set up a network by leasing out spectrum allocated to telecom operators or even by directly taking it from the DoT.
Telecom operators have opposed the direct allocation of spectrum to enterprises or entities that want to set up 5G private networks.
The DoT said that certain frequency bands were initially proposed for direct assignment of spectrum to CNPN licensees. However, it was observed that there was a lack of a device ecosystem in the frequency band identified for them.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had recommended spectrum in the frequency range of 3700-3800 MHz, 4800-4990 MHz and 28.5-29.5 MHz for CNPN.
The department said it has observed during a recent analysis that the device ecosystem for CNPN is mostly available in IMT bands, and 5G technology has also considerably advanced with different use cases.
The memorandum said system integrators are keenly interested in establishing CNPN-based networks.
The DoT has invited comments from enterprises that have a net worth of more than Rs 100 crore and are willing to set up CNPN by obtaining spectrum directly from the department, and system integrators interested in establishing CNPN networks for enterprises by July 31.
Tidal Wave Technologies CEO Ankit Dixit said enterprise and industrial adoption of private 5G networks remains at a nascent stage, with active deployments to date remaining in low single digits.
"This slower pace can be attributed to factors, such as the high cost of spectrum, slow responsiveness to enterprise-specific needs, and expectations of free trials or proof-of-concepts," Dixit said.
Private 5G networks have the potential to transform these industries through secure, high-performance connectivity, and there is a need to strengthen policy frameworks, ease access to spectrum, and foster closer collaboration across the ecosystem for realising its potential, he added.
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