What just happened – The big news

On January 21, 2026, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) officially delicensed 500 MHz of the 6 GHz band (5925-6425 MHz) for indoor Wi-Fi use. No license required. No frequency assignment needed.

Your laptop that supports WiFi 6E? It can finally use its 6 GHz radio. That PlayStation 5 Pro Sony delayed launching in India? They might reconsider now.

This isn’t just a technical upgrade – experts estimate this could unlock around $250 billion in value for the digital economy.

One thing to note: In some countries like the US and Canada, WiFi 6E uses the full 5925–7125 MHz range (1200 MHz of spectrum). India has delicensed only the lower half: 5925–6425 MHz (500 MHz) for unlicensed WiFi use. The upper 6 GHz band (6425–7125 MHz) has been reserved for advanced mobile services under India’s National Frequency Allocation Plan. This means router manufacturers need to release India-specific firmware and get WPC approvals before products can officially launch here.

WiFi 6E Explained: What’s all the fuss about?

Think of WiFi bands like roads. The routers in most homes can deliver great speeds, but they’re stuck fighting for space. For years, we’ve been using two roads: 2.4 GHz (the old, crowded highway everyone uses) and 5 GHz (the faster expressway, but still crowded). It’s like having a fast car trapped in rush-hour traffic.

WiFi 6E gives you an entirely new, uncongested highway – the 6 GHz band. It’s brand new, empty, and much wider than the other two. No legacy devices clogging it up. No microwave ovens interfering. No neighbor’s 15-year-old router bleeding into your signal.

WiFi Bands Explained: The Road Analogy

What does this actually give you?

• More speed: Up to 9.6 Gbps theoretical maximum (real-world: 800-900 Mbps vs 500 Mbps on WiFi 6)
• Lower latency: Critical for gaming, video calls, and real-time applications
• Less interference: The 6 GHz band is clean—no old routers, no Bluetooth, no baby monitors
• More devices: Handle 200+ connected devices without performance drops

The catch (there’s always a catch)

The 6 GHz band is indoor only in India. Maximum power output is limited to 30 dBm (much lower than the 53 dBm allowed on 5 GHz). This means shorter range—great for inside your home or office, but it won’t reach as far through walls as 5 GHz.

Also, you need both your router and your device to support 6E. If your phone, laptop, or gaming console doesn’t have a WiFi 6E chip, you won’t see any benefit.