{"id":2139,"date":"2022-01-31T10:46:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T18:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/?p=2139"},"modified":"2022-01-31T10:48:46","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T18:48:46","slug":"advocating-for-a-use-it-or-share-it-approach-to-spectrum-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2022\/01\/31\/advocating-for-a-use-it-or-share-it-approach-to-spectrum-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocating for a \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d spectrum approach to bridge the digital divide in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

On January 10, Mozilla, in partnership with the Centre for Internet and Society, made a submission<\/a> to TRAI regarding the upcoming 5G spectrum auction. We advocated for a \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d approach to spectrum to help small and medium operators ensure connectivity reaches undeserved areas across India.<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought home to us all how important affordable, accessible broadband is to modern society.\u00a0 Internet access has allowed millions to safely carry on their work, their education, their social connections, and more. Its value has multiplied because of this. Yet the unfortunate consequence of this is that those without affordable internet access fall further and further behind by default. They are quite literally invisible to the connected. The inescapable conclusion is that inclusiveness, making sure everyone has affordable access to broadband, must be a policy priority.<\/p>\n

Restrictive licensing can serve as a barrier to access<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mozilla is committed to an internet that includes all the peoples of the earth and recognizes that, as internet growth is slowing<\/a>, achieving a truly inclusive internet will require fresh ideas beyond those that got us this far.\u00a0 This will require new business models, new technologies, and, in particular, new policies and regulations.\u00a0 Central to affordable access, particularly in emerging markets, are mobile wireless technologies. However, the ability to deploy mobile wireless networks is dependent on spectrum licenses that guarantee exclusive access to wireless spectrum and which are often auctioned for millions of dollars each. While the value of these licenses can represent a windfall for government treasuries, they have the unfortunate side effect of excluding smaller, often more innovative, operators from participation in the market.\u00a0 Worse still, the high prices paid for these licenses can operate as a disincentive for the license holder to invest in more sparsely populated, economically underdeveloped regions\u2026exactly where affordable access is most desperately needed.<\/p>\n

Sharing spectrum creates opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this problem. Regulators can unlock access to wireless spectrum in regions that are most desperately in need of affordable access by making a subtle but important change to the way that spectrum is licensed. Traditionally spectrum licenses have guaranteed exclusivity of use to a license holder.\u00a0 By shifting from a guarantee of exclusivity to a guarantee of \u2018protection from interference\u2019, the regulator opens the possibility of sharing that spectrum in areas where the primary license holder has no intention of building networks.<\/p>\n

This \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d approach to spectrum licensing (which we\u2019ve also advocated for in the past) has already been implemented in Mexico, the United States, the U.K, and Germany.\u00a0 It is currently under consideration in Canada and other countries.\u00a0 Spectrum sharing can unlock affordable access where it is needed most in disadvantaged rural areas.<\/p>\n

While we encourage TRAI to consider this approach in their ongoing deliberations regarding the spectrum auction process in India, we also think that the issue merits a dedicated public consultation to incorporate wider stakeholder input and independent consideration from the 5G rollout process in India. We look forward to engaging with TRAI, the Department of Telecom and other stakeholders on this issue over the coming year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 10, Mozilla, in partnership with the Centre for Internet and Society, made a submission to TRAI regarding the upcoming 5G spectrum auction. We advocated for a \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d approach … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1759,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20262,155,327289,1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[327272,452995],"yoast_head":"\nAdvocating for a \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d spectrum approach to bridge the digital divide in India - Open Policy & Advocacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2022\/01\/31\/advocating-for-a-use-it-or-share-it-approach-to-spectrum-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-india\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Udbhav Tiwari, Steve Song\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2022\/01\/31\/advocating-for-a-use-it-or-share-it-approach-to-spectrum-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-india\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.mozilla.org\/netpolicy\/2022\/01\/31\/advocating-for-a-use-it-or-share-it-approach-to-spectrum-to-bridge-the-digital-divide-in-india\/\",\"name\":\"Advocating for a \u201cuse-it-or-share-it\u201d spectrum approach to bridge the digital divide in India - 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