TRAI has finalised its recommendations on assignment of the microwave spectrum in 6 GHz (lower), 7 GHz, 13 GHz, 15 GHz, 18 GHz, 21 GHz bands, E-Band, and V-Band
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Wednesday has recommended capping of traditional microwave backhaul bands to 0.1 per cent of adjusted gross revenue (AGR).
“Under the existing charging regime, it was required to pay a backhaul spectrum charge of 1.1 per cent of AGR in the licensed service area as per the applicable [escalating] charging matrix. As TRAI has recommended a uniform spectrum charge of 0.1 per cent per carrier…This would result in a saving of 0.6 per cent of AGR in the LSA to the wireless access service provider,” the sector regulator said.
Based on the comments received from stakeholders during consultation process, and further analysis, TRAI has finalised its recommendations on assignment of the microwave spectrum in 6 GHz (lower), 7 GHz, 13 GHz, 15 GHz, 18 GHz, 21 GHz bands, E-Band, and V-Band, it said.
As per the feedback, it has recommended the rationalisation of the spectrum charges for point-to-point link-based assignments in traditional microwave backhaul bands.
Earlier, spectrum charges for point-to-point links were governed by the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) order on spectrum charges for assignment of frequencies to captive users (being charged on formula basis) for different types of radio communication services and applications’.
TRAI also recommended backhaul spectrum charges for point-to-point links in traditional microwave backhaul bands at ₹75,000 per carrier per annum in 6GHz (lower) and 7GHz bands, and ₹25,000 per carrier per annum in 13GHz, 15GHz, 18GHz and 21GHz bands.
For spectrum in E-band and V-band, TRAI said they should be assigned for backhaul purposes only, with specific charging mechanisms. Proposed charges include ₹25,000 per link for E-band and ₹2,500 for V-band, promoting affordability and utilisation. Stakeholders advocate for administrative assignments over auctions to avoid competitive imbalances, it said.
It said E-band (71-76 GHz paired with 81-86 GHz) should be assigned to wireless access service providers on a block basis in the licence service area for backhauling wireless access network traffic.
At present, access service providers pay charges for E-Band as a percentage of their AGR, and continuity of the same will ensure a consistent and stable framework.
“Under the existing policy regime for the assignment of backhaul spectrum on a blockbasis to wireless access service providers, the spectrum charge per carrier in E-band was 0.15 per cent of AGR. TRAI has recommended that the spectrum charge for E-Band carriers, assigned to a wireless access service provider on a block-basis for backhauling wireless access network traffic, should be 0.10 per cent of AGR for each carrier. This would result in a reduction of about 33 per cent in the spectrum charge per carrier in E-Band,” it said.
E-band is a capacity band for covering short distances and is used world over for dense urban areas. Its usage is expected to increase in India with increasing data usage in the 5G era.
“There should be a ceiling of three carriers, each of 250 MHz (paired) bandwidth, which may be assigned to a wireless access service provider in E-Band on a block-basis in a license service area. Under the existing policy regime, there was a ceiling of two carriers in E-Band,” TRAI mentioned.
Similarly, spectrum in V-band (57-66 GHz range) should be assigned on a point-to-point link basis to all types of authorised entities, including captive users, for backhaul purposes. There should be a ceiling of 20 carriers, each of 50 MHz (unpaired) bandwidth, per link in V-band, TRAI said.
“In parallel to the licensed fixed services (radio backhaul) in V-Band, the licence exempt usage should also be permitted in V-Band (57-66 GHz) for both low power indoor and very low-power outdoor usage on a non-interference, non-protection, and shared (non-exclusive) basis,” it highlighted.
Published on December 10, 2025
