SPECTRUM FOR SAFETY: ITS India Forum Backs BIF’s Call to De-license 5.9 GHz Band for Vehicle Communication

Urges government to prioritize V2V spectrum allocation as a critical enabler of India’s intelligent transportation future

New Delhi [India], April 13:  ITS India Forum, India’s national think tank for Intelligent Transportation Systems, strongly endorses the Broadband India Forum’s (BIF) appeal to the Union Government to immediately de-license 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication — a move that holds the potential to fundamentally reshape road safety outcomes across the country.

India’s road safety crisis is not merely a statistic. In 2023, 4.62 lakh road crashes claimed nearly 1.70 lakh lives — a figure that places India among the most road-accident-prone nations in the world. A joint study by DIMTS and IIT Delhi estimates that road accidents cost India 3.14% of its GDP annually, accounting for medical expenditure, productivity losses, property damage, and immeasurable human suffering. These numbers demand urgent, technology-driven intervention — and spectrum policy is where that intervention must begin.

At the heart of this issue is the 5.9 GHz band — internationally harmonized for Intelligent Transport Systems and already operational in several advanced economies for V2V deployments. V2V communication enables vehicles to exchange real-time data on speed, position, and braking — creating a dynamic safety envelope that no single sensor or camera system can replicate. When a vehicle brakes sharply on a fog-covered highway or drifts into an adjacent lane, V2V-equipped vehicles in its vicinity receive instantaneous alerts, enabling split-second, potentially life-saving responses.

The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that widespread V2V adoption could prevent over 4.39 lakh crashes annually — a 13% reduction. India, with its significantly more complex traffic mix and higher fatality rates, stands to benefit even more substantially.

ITS India Forum notes with encouragement that the institutional groundwork is already firmly in place. An inter-ministerial task force, constituted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in October 2023 and chaired by the Telecommunications Engineering Centre, concluded extensive multi-stakeholder consultations — and unanimously recognized the urgency of releasing the 5.9 GHz band for license-exempt V2V use. The Wireless Planning and Coordination wing has similarly recommended de-licensing the 5875–5925 MHz range for On-Board Units (OBUs). Crucially, Indian automotive manufacturers including Tata Motors and Mahindra have already begun factory-fitting OBUs in this band — signaling that industry readiness is not a future aspiration but a present reality.

ITS India Forum supports BIF’s well-reasoned position that V2V and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications must be treated as distinct policy tracks, each governed by a framework commensurate with its function and urgency. V2V communication is, at its core, a life-safety technology — one that cannot afford to be held hostage to prolonged regulatory cycles designed for commercial spectrum applications. Routing it through such processes risks unconscionable delay and unnecessary loss of life. Interoperability, moreover, is non-negotiable in a diverse automotive market: a Toyota OBU must communicate seamlessly with a Tata or Mahindra OBU, and that interoperability is only guaranteed through a license-exempt framework that establishes a common, open standard accessible to all manufacturers.

Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava, President of the ITS INDIA FORUM said, De-licensing the 5.9 GHz band for V2V communication is not merely a telecom reform; it is a decisive road-safety intervention whose benefits can be measured in lives saved, crashes avoided, and response times reduced. India has both the technical capability and the institutional readiness to move forward, and a common, interoperable, license-exempt framework will help accelerate the deployment of connected vehicle safety systems at scale.

India’s ambitions in smart mobility — anchored in the Digital India mission, the Smart Cities program, and its emerging National ITS Architecture — cannot be fully realized without a secure, harmonized spectrum foundation for connected vehicles. De-licensing the 5875–5905 MHz range is not a peripheral spectrum decision; it is a cornerstone of India’s transition to safer, smarter, and more connected roads.

ITS India Forum calls upon the Department of Communications and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to act in concert and release this spectrum without further delay. Every year of inaction carries a measurable human cost. The technology is ready. The industry is ready. The policy must follow.

About ITS India Forum

ITS India Forum is India’s national think tank for Intelligent Transportation Systems, dedicated to advancing technology-driven solutions for safer, smarter, and more sustainable mobility. It works across government, industry, and academia to accelerate the adoption of ITS policies, standards, and infrastructure in India.

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