Competition for 6GHz spectrum in India is fierce [File]
|Image source: Reuters
Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro console, a mid-generation console launched in many markets on Thursday, will not be released in India in the foreseeable future, the company said in a statement. It’s not uncommon for PlayStation consoles to be delayed – at least for officially imported units with warranties. However, Sony this time gave a specific reason why it may delay the release of the console indefinitely.
The PS5 Pro gaming console supports WiFi 7, a standard that uses the 6 GHz spectrum band that many countries around the world have allowed for wireless home broadband. However, competition for the 6GHz spectrum is fierce in India. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd, has made a strong push to reserve the spectrum for mobile internet technologies such as 5G.
“PS5 Pro will not be available in certain countries (currently including India) that do not yet allow the use of the 6GHz wireless band in IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7),” Sony said in a statement.
The debate over 6GHz spectrum has long pitted telecommunications companies against technology and broadband companies, and the lack of a decision on the issue has further complicated the situation for consumer electronics manufacturers.
On the other side of this conflict are big tech companies like Amazon and Google, as well as home broadband providers, who see WiFi as a legitimate use case for the spectrum. So far, WiFi in India mainly uses the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum. Currently, the government has not yet made a final decision on whether to allocate the entire spectrum to WiFi or license part or all of it to telecom operators.
Earlier this year, COAI complained that WiFi 6E (preceding WiFi 7) routers were being sold illegally in India. While the government does not appear to have commented publicly on the allegation, e-commerce sites such as Amazon have significantly removed WiFi 6E routers from their catalogs.
The WiFi-enabled camp in the 6GHz war – whose success is somewhat necessary for the launch of PS5 Pro in India – has suffered a setback recently. The Bharat 6G Alliance, a consortium that is setting 6G standards as a top priority for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has released a report recommending the use of 6GHz spectrum for 5G and 6G technology, but the recommendation Condemned by BIF.
The debate is far from over – India will only call for the de-licensing of part or all of the 6GHz spectrum after conducting a so-called coexistence study to ensure that use of the spectrum by telecom networks or WiFi does not interfere with ISRO satellites using the same band, This is the current allocation for this band.
Global telecom industry bodies such as the GSMA are also pushing for this spectrum to be primarily used by telecom operators. “In countries where Wi-Fi demand is very high, the allocation of an additional 500 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use… is sufficient to meet expected demand,” the GSMA said in a report.
However, it’s unclear whether Sony is legally required to not launch the PS5 in India just because it support WiFi 7 standard with 6GHz spectrum. For example, according to the help page on Apple’s website, Apple only restricted the 6GHz spectrum in mainland China, and only recently locked the 6GHz spectrum in Japan and removed the restriction through a software update.
Published – November 8, 2024 at 2:03 pm (IST)
