Direct communication between vehicles through V2V systems enables drivers and automated safety systems to detect dangers well beyond the driver’s line of sight | Photo Credit: bl-online Administrator

The Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Monday said the government’s decision to delicense 30 MHz of spectrum in the globally harmonised 5.9 GHz band for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications is a transformative step towards improving road safety, reducing traffic fatalities and enabling the next generation of connected mobility solutions in India.

It said several Indian automobile manufacturers have already begun integrating On-Board Units (OBUs) capable of operating in this band, making the government’s decision both timely and critical for supporting the V2V technology deployment in the country.

Life saver

“This decision is not merely about spectrum policy; it is fundamentally about saving lives, especially at a time when India is witnessing an unacceptably high number of road accidents and fatalities. Delicensing this band for V2V will accelerate adoption of advanced safety technologies by automobile manufacturers, strengthen India’s connected mobility ecosystem, reduce the enormous socio-economic burden of road accidents and support the development of intelligent transportation systems that are essential for the future of mobility,” TV Ramachandran, President, BIF, said.

The benefits will extend far beyond the automotive sector and contribute significantly to public safety, economic productivity and national welfare, he added.

Recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), through Gazette notifications, informed of de-licensing spectrum bands for automotive radar and vehicle-to-everything (V2X or V2I) communication, clearing the regulatory path for next-generation road safety technology in India.

The DoT notified on-boarding units enabling Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communication in the 5875-5905 MHz band (or 5.875-5.925 GHz band), where radar gives a vehicle the ability to sense its immediate surroundings.

In another notification, the DoT gave a go-ahead for the 77–81 GHz frequency band, used for short-range automotive radar systems.

V2V communications, based on globally harmonised 3GPP standards, enable real-time exchange of safety-critical information between vehicles, including speed, direction, location, braking status, collision risks and hazardous road conditions.

Such direct communication between vehicles through V2V systems enables drivers and automated safety systems to detect dangers well beyond the driver’s line of sight. This helps provide crucial additional reaction time that can help prevent accidents and save lives.

BIF also said the delicensing of the 5.9 GHz band is expected to accelerate deployment of a broad range of safety-enhancing applications, including collision avoidance systems, emergency braking alerts, blind-spot warnings, intersection safety systems, vulnerable road-user protection and other advanced driver assistance technologies.

The decision comes at a time when India continues to face one of the world’s most serious road safety challenges. According to official estimates, the country records over 4.6 lakh road accidents and nearly 1.7 lakh fatalities annually, resulting in an enormous human, social and economic burden on the nation. The financial burden of road accidents has been estimated at 3.14 per cent of the nation’s GDP.

This represents billions of rupees lost annually, not just in medical expenses and property damage, but also in lost productivity, income inequality, rehabilitation efforts, and the deep impact on families who lose their breadwinners. Reducing accidents through technology-enabled prevention mechanisms can therefore generate substantial economic and societal benefits.

However, telecom operators, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea, had opposed separate service authorisation for V2V communications, particularly where such communication could be enabled through existing licensed telecom networks (via cellular networks or localised roadside infrastructure deployed for intelligent transport and road-safety applications).

Published on June 15, 2026