India is on the brink of the next generation of technology 5G.
The 5G services may see the light of day soon, but come at a time when a quarter of people around the world already have access to 5G coverage.
India, which is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world, has also earned the distinction of being one of the countries with the most data usage with the advent of 4G.
4G was about speeds and feeds, 5G is about creating experiences that also drive operational transformation, automation and efficiency in real time. It will bring the next billion connections to the Indian telecom industry, in addition to opening up new revenue opportunities, mainly the 5G private networks room. Although the captive networking space has become a point of contention between telecom and technology players, it will open up the sector to new players.
India’s First 5G Spectrum Auction is underway and till Friday, day four of the auction, the total proceeds reached Rs 149,855 crore.
However, the road to a smooth rollout is fraught with challenges. The first and most important problem is that of infrastructure implementation. At least 70% of the towers must be fiberized from the current level of 33% for a successful 5G launch.
5G networks need a robust infrastructure to manage the massive data traffic. Aside from fiberization, a cost-effective solution – the deployment of small cells must be expanded frequently. The infrastructure required for 5G will differ in size from 4G.
The other challenge relates to the availability of affordable 5G smartphones. There have been some launches in this segment with a certain spectrum band – 3.5GHz, but it should be available at a wider level with budget friendly options.
5G networks will provide flexibility and customization to different industries and can adapt to changing industry and consumer demands for speed, range and capacity, but limited use cases in the ecosystem remain another hurdle. It will be a… long way for 5G as test use cases have just started coming in.
Day four was all about the battle for the 1800 MHz spectrum in UP (East) that pushed the action to day five. On the fourth day, there were seven rounds of bidding, with the unit price of the 1800 MHz band increasing by 49% from the base price, to Rs135.6 crore for UP (East). The price has risen as Bharti Airtel battled bigger rival Reliance Jio to protect its market share in India’s most populous circle, with some of its 900MHz airwaves expiring in 2024, industry executives said.
5G will make a strong case if the service is bundled with a 5G rich app and not just better speed technology. It promises up to 10 times faster speed than existing 4G technology, making it a perfect choice for companies to leapfrog the development of new segments such as the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
The government recently set up a 5G testbed to enable startups and industry players to locally test and validate their products and reduce reliance on foreign facilities.
59 countries worldwide have already rolled out 5G networks. Since India is a different market than the western countries, the use cases have to be developed taking into account regional conditions. The industry will reap the benefits of investment in 5G in the next 2-3 years when the ecosystem is fully established. Let’s wait and see how India bypasses 5G.
“Today, confidence has been instilled in the telecom sector,” Vaishnaw said, adding, “the telecom industry is seen as a sunrise industry, and many of the old problems are now behind us.”