India’s leading telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Infocomm, and Vodafone Idea, have once again highlighted the urgent need for a robust spectrum roadmap. This comes amidst India’s evolving 5G landscape and the growing demand for the Internet of Things (IoT).
At the recent ETTelecom 5G Congress 2025, these operators expressed concerns that the current spectrum allocation is insufficient to meet future demands. They cite a GSMA report indicating the need for about 2,000 megahertz of spectrum by 2030, contrasting sharply with the current allocation of 400 megahertz.
Rahul Vatts, the chief regulatory officer at Bharti Airtel, emphasized, “There is a humongous need for spectrum going ahead.” He also noted that with projections of about 30 billion IoT devices, the demand will only grow. Vatts proposed innovative solutions such as spectrum swapping and payment credits for returned spectrum to address these needs.
Additionally, Vodafone Idea’s chief regulatory affairs officer, Ambika Khurana, insisted on collaborative dialogues that involve the government, industry experts, and global practices to prevent future spectrum shortages. AK Tiwari from Reliance Jio Infocomm recommended more allocations in the 3.5 GHz mid-band and contiguous bands between 6 GHz and 8.4 GHz to accelerate India’s digital future.
However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) holds a contrasting view. Sunil Kumar Singhal, the deputy director general, asserted that spectrum availability generally surpasses demands, and the DoT is advancing allocations in high-frequency bands, including the terahertz spectrum.
India has established more than 469,000 5G base stations by February 2025, with approximately 250 million active 5G users within two years of its commercial launch. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel initiated nationwide 5G deployment in 2022, followed recently by Vodafone Idea in Mumbai.