Reliance Jio is said to have sought permission from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) in a move geared towards the expansion of its Wi-Fi services. According to a report, the mobile operator has requested approval from the telecom watchdog to use a spectrum in the 26GHz band, which is designated for the potential large-scale deployment of 5G network in the future. Notably, this move comes after Adani Group's decision to sell its 400MHz spectrum to Bharti Airtel last month after failing to identify a viable use case.

Citing unnamed officials, Financial Express reports that Jio has made this request under the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for Auction of Spectrum for IMT/5G Telecom Services in which Adani Data Networks Limited emerged as a successful bidder of the 26GHz band before ultimately selling it off to Airtel in April this year.

The Clause 2.3 of the NIA reportedly mandates telecom operators to obtain prior approval from DoT to use spectrum, which has originally been assigned for mobile technologies like 5G, for any other alternate services, in this case Wi-Fi. Operators must do so at least six months before deploying the band for the new purpose, as per the telecom watchdog. Jio has formally submitted a request but the matter is still under consideration, DoT officials reportedly said. If it receives approval from the telecom watchdog, Airtel will reportedly file a similar request.

Notably, Wi-Fi-based broadband services are usually deployed on the 5GHz band while the 26GHz band, along with the 3,300MHz frequency, are reserved for 5G mobile networks. As per the report, by using the 26GHz band for 5G services, Jio may adopt a hybrid deployment approach which combines its “ultra-high-speed” with the wide coverage capabilities of the 5GHz band to provide consumers with high-speed broadband services even in dense urban areas.

Analysts reportedly note that the 26GHz band is not only future-ready for 5G deployment, but also has additional benefits related to spectrum usage charge (SUC). Revenue generated on this band can reportedly be separated from the legacy spectrum where SUC is still liable, enabling the telecom operator to only pay the SUC dues on the revenue from the legacy spectrum.

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