Govt relaxes norms on WiFi bands

To encourage the use of wireless technologies such as WiFi, the government on Friday issued a notification to delicense 2.4 Ghz and 5 GHz frequency spectrum for indoor use. It has also freed for indoor use, the frequency bands 5.15-5.35 GHz and 5.725-5.875 GHz, to increase the public uptake of wireless communications.

The notifications, awaited since the Broadband Policy was announced in December, 2004, allow anyone to set up, maintain, run and deal in equipment useful in the spectrum bands. The 2.4 GHz frequency range has been delicensed on a shared basis, implying that all wireless systems with maximum power up to 4 watts, using antenna lower than 5 mts can be freely installed on existing authorised buildings.

In the 5.15 GHz range, indoor use of low power wireless systems, with maximum power of up to 200 milliwatts is freely possible on a non-protection, non-interference and shared basis. Indoor usage includes campuses of homes or recognised institutions. The notifications are aimed at encouraging Internet penetration through WiFi hot spots.