The Hindu Business Line : DoT to open up 5.1 GHz for outdoor usage

In a bid to boost wireless broadband usage, the Government will soon open up the 5.1 Ghz for outdoor wireless access. The Department of Telecom had earlier delicensed the 2.4 GHz band to be used for both indoor and outdoor wireless access while the 5.1 GHz band was to be used only indoor and adjacent campuses. These frequencies are used by operators to offer Wi-Fi enabled Internet services, which enables users to be connected on the move.

The industry had been demanding to open up the 5.1 Ghz frequency band also for outdoor usage. Once the band is openedfor outdoor usage operators will have more bandwidth to offer Internet services on a laptop even when the user is travelling.

In another initiative, the DoT is also moving to smoothen the interconnection between State-owned BSNL and private operators. DoT officials at Indian Telecom 2006 said that BSNL would offer interconnection within one month's time. Private operators had been complaining that BSNL was not giving adequate interconnection, which was resulting in poor quality of service.

Earlier speaking at Indian telecom 2006, Mr Nripendra Misra, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), said that the first role of the regulator is to break monopoly and then to promote competition within the monopoly.

He further added that the three challenges faced by a regulatory authority are convergence, spectrum and quality of service.

The US Ambassador, Mr David A. Gross, in his theme address at the session said, "Convergence is all about people we speak a common language of hope and expectation of better tomorrow using all the technologies that are on display in this show

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