This year, 5G has been a popular topic of conversation, with telecom behemoths Jio and Airtel declaring plans for 5G in India, pending the March 2021 spectrum auction and regulatory approvals. However, the spectrum set to be released on March 1 does not cover the frequency band required for 5G services.
According to current conversations, the 5G network will not require a separate SIM card, and sources claim that the transition to 5G will be unlike previous cellular generation transfers.
“5G wireless technology is supposed to give faster multi-gigabit per second peak data rates, ultra-low latency, increased dependability, huge network capacity, increased availability, and a more uniform user experience to more people,” Qualcomm said.
There will be a delay in the rollout of 5G technology, according to a recent parliamentary panel chaired by Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor. According to a study presented to Parliament by a commission, the government anticipates 5G services to be available in early 2022 following a six-month wait for another spectrum auction.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) was chastised by the Standing Committee on Information Technology for delaying the rollout of 5G services, despite the fact that several countries have already commercialized the next-generation technology.
The parliamentary panel has been advised that 5G will roll out in India to some level for certain uses by the end of the calendar year 2021 or the beginning of 2022, according to news agency PTI, because 4G should persist in the country for at least another 5-6 years.
The panel study, which questioned the planning and implementation, also noted that 2G was launched globally in 1991 but not in India until 1995 and that 3G was launched globally in 1998 but not until 10 years later in the country.
Seven years after their global premiere in 2008, 4G services were launched in India. It’s worth noting that India will only see the partial deployment of the system towards the end of 2021 or early 2022.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation has informed the parliamentary IT committee that the 5G technology experiment will most likely begin in two to three months. According to ET, the Department of Transportation has received 16 proposals for 5G field experiments utilising both foreign and indigenous technologies.
In fields such as education, health care, agriculture, public safety, and fintech, the Department of Telecom is establishing India-specific 5G use case laboratories. According to GSA data, commercial 5G networks are now operational in 61 countries around the world (Global mobile Suppliers Association). In these countries, 144 operators have deployed commercial 3GPP-compatible 5G services.
From the perspective of the industry, corporations feel that improving 5G infrastructure should be a national priority and that the country needs to be prepared with a resilient, scalable, and intelligent infrastructure capable of handling significant traffic growth.
“This transition is posing new security risks, causing considerable traffic surges, requiring more bandwidth, and necessitating more speed and lower latency. Multiple networks, clouds, CDNs, and the edge are all combined for this, providing new avenues for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities “MD India and SAARC, Dhananjay Ganjoo, was mentioned by F5.
During the launch of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019, Ericsson, in collaboration with Airtel, enabled the first-ever 5G-powered ‘Connected Music’ performance. Airtel also stated earlier this month that, in collaboration with Ericsson, it has successfully demonstrated and orchestrated live 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad.
“In India, consumers have a strong desire for 5G, and they are willing to pay for the increased capabilities that 5G provides.” By 2026, the nation will have 350 million 5G subscriptions, accounting for 27% of all mobile subscriptions, according to the Ericsson Mobility Report.
In addition, by 2026, four out of every ten mobile subscribers would be 5G, according to Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India and Ericsson Network Solutions South East Asia, Oceania, and India. “It’s worth noting that Ericsson Radio system hardware has been 5G ready in India since 2015, and operators may upgrade to 5G with a remote software installation.”
We are prepared to install 5G in India based on our global experience with 5G deployments. Of course, the country’s real 5G rollout would be determined by spectrum allotment and the intentions of Indian carriers. Bansal stated, “We continue to interact with our Indian customers on their network evolution objectives.”
The challenges that India’s 5G debut will face:
The 5G spectrum auctions are set to take place in February 2022, according to Telecom Minister Adhwini Vaishnae, with the government attempting to push it back to January. Using the DoT-allocated trial spectrum, Airtel and Jio began testing 5G networks in various metropolitan centres.
In order to perform India’s first cloud-gaming session in a 5G environment, Airtel worked with Nokia and Ericsson. In addition to a four-year suspension on airwaves payments owed to the government, the administration has announced a rescue package for the telecom sector. On October 1, the deferred payment cycle will begin. In addition, the government intends to modify the adjusted gross revenue to just include telecom revenue.
The government, telecom regulators, service providers, and equipment manufacturers must all-clear a few hurdles before a 5G launch can take place in India.
Low fiberization footprint :
We need to improve India’s fibre connection, which now connects only 30% of the country’s telecom towers. This number must double for a successful 5G launch and uptake in India.
Hardware challenge: ‘Make in India’ :
The restriction on some foreign telecom
OEMs, on which most of our CSPs rely, means that the country must support and boost indigenous 5G hardware manufacture at an unprecedented rate if the 5G India dream is to be realized.
Spectrum costs are high:
India’s 5G spectrum pricing is about 7 times that of the UK, and many times that of the worldwide average, at INR 492 crore per MHz. India’s cash-strapped carriers will suffer as a result of this. This pricing needs to be rationalized in order for the government to make enough money from the auction without jeopardizing India’s 5G deployment aspirations.
Selecting the best 5G technology standard:
In order to accelerate the adoption of 5G technology, the battle between the domestic 5Gi standard and the global 3GPP standard must be resolved. While 5Gi has obvious advantages, it also raises 5G India launch costs and causes interoperability concerns for carriers, which we can’t afford right now.
Final Words:
The 5G spectrum auction is likely to begin in the second half of 2022, according to the latest developments. This comes as a result of the Department of Transportation approving the telecoms’ request to prolong their 5G trials.
In India, 5G has the ability to change everything. It might accommodate up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometre if operational, compared to only 2000 under 4G LTE!
We will be able to transform rural education, healthcare, agriculture, and other sectors, as well as construct smart cities of the future, with such unparalleled levels of connection and 5G internet – all trademarks of a futuristic 5G India. In fact, the total economic impact of 5G on India might reach $1 trillion by 2035.
