Reliance Jio has applied to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for permission to broaden the use of E-band spectrum to access, or mobility, use in addition to backhaul, emphasizing that the distinction between the two has vanished with technological advancement.

Last year, the DoT administratively granted telcos E-band spectrum for backhaul use only in order to smooth the 5G rollout. The telecom market leader's move to seek mobile use for E-band (71-76 GHz and 81-86 GHz) airwaves comes ahead of an expected consultation paper on the mode of allocating such airwaves by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).

Jio now wants the DoT to send a new reference to Trai, emphasising that E-band spectrum can be used for access services as well.

Jio informed the DoT that its requirement to use E-band for access services in addition to backhaul is fully compliant with 3GPP technological advancements and international standards. "With the use of integrated access backhaul (IAB), E-band spectrum can be used in providing high-speed broadband in densely populated areas where laying last mile fibre is difficult and uneconomical," Jio is said to have told the DoT.

A query sent to Jio about the use of the E-band went unanswered. Backhaul is the process of connecting the core of a mobile network to nodes and then to towers in order to transmit data, which is essential for an effective 5G mobile broadband operation.