COAI announced the formation of the 5G India Forum to strengthen India’s position in the use and deployment efforts of 5G technology.

TRAI is in the process of finalizing recommendations for 5G spectrum policy and reserve price for 5G band that can be sold during the next round of spectrum auction in India.

5G India Forum aims to bring together the different voices of the Indian telecom, mobility and connectivity eco-system to become the leading force in the development of next generation communications.

“The Forum would facilitate synergising of national efforts and will play a significant role in shaping the strategic, commercial and regulatory development of the 5G ecosystem in India,” said Rajan S Mathews, director general of COAI.

Rajan S Mathews earlier said spectrum auction for 5G services should be conducted after one or two years in the wake of the uncertain business conditions in India.

Rajan S Mathews today said adoption of 5G will require substantial investment in more downstream innovation than previous generations of communications systems. New business ecosystems are expected to emerge in which multiple players will meet, compete, collaborate and work together, at the same time.

5G India Forum will contribute to policy on 5G along with Department of Telecommunication (DoT) and build consensus amongst all the entities.

The Forum will also help identify vertical application domains, and use cases which would benefit from 5G and associated challenges as well as the societal, economic, environmental, business and technological benefits obtainable by an early adoption of 5G.

COAI represents Indian GSM telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone, among others.