New Delhi, June 15 -- Nearly four years after telecom operators spent Rs.15,000 crore acquiring 26GHz spectrum for 5G services, a dispute has emerged over whether the band can be repurposed for Wi-Fi-based broadband.

Bharti Airtel Ltd has opposed Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd's proposal to deploy Wi-Fi services using the spectrum, arguing that the move could create interference with its existing mobile network and lacks alignment with global telecom standards, according to three people close to the discussions.

Concerns have also been raised with the government that high-power Wi-Fi deployments in the band could lead to higher radiation levels, affecting public health and interfering with adjacent satellite broadband spectrum, one of the th...