The war of words between the tech industry and the telecom industry is going over private 5G. The telcos, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), don’t want the government to allocate airwaves to the tech firms in an administrative manner for setting up private 5G networks. But the tech firms say that they are the best qualified for setting up their own 5G networks as the telcos optimise their networks for the masses while enterprises have different needs. In a new development reported by TNN, the Communications Ministry has sent its recommendations on the matter to the Union Cabinet. The Communications Ministry has favoured the concept of private 5G being set up by the tech firms directly, which is a huge blow to the plans of the telcos. However, it is worth noting that the final call over the matter will be taken by the Union Cabinet only. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had not favoured the idea of administratively allocating the airwaves directly to the tech firms for captive private 5G networks. The decision from the Union Cabinet is expected to arrive soon.
COAI Brutally Ignored by Ashwini Vaishnaw
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has been brutally ignored by the Communications Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw. It is worth noting that COAI, an industry body which represents private telcos such as Airtel, Jio, and Vi, had written to Vaishnaw requesting him to stop direct spectrum allocation to the enterprises for private 5G. The body had said that it was harmful to the telcos’ business, and it might force them to not invest in 5G further for now. The telecom operators are worried about the revenue loss that they will have to face if the private networks are being set up by the enterprises directly. 5G is more geared toward industrial uses rather than commercial use by regular internet consumers.
