Will 5G Spread in India The Way 4G Did When The Time Comes?

India is at the transition stage of a digital revolution powered by rising broadband and internet penetration and increasing data uptake. The government focuses on digitalization while adopting the increasing technology trend across industries. This revolution is likely to boost industrial productivity, generate new growth avenues, and transform its economic sector.

There will be a vigorous improvement in the network performance over the 4G. 5G expects to add value to the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (AR/ VR), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), etc. giving rise to use cases across diversified industries. New business models are emerging in the 5G value chain to provide connectivity and cater differentiated services to various market segments and customers.

5G will answer the digital aspirations of the industry and our society at large. However, the government needs to overcome infrastructural hurdles and business challenges, considering the telecom sector’s underlying scenario. An organized effort from both the public and the private sector can cement the right ecosystem to adopt the 5G solution in India successfully.

5G Delivers Speed

5G data speed is expected to be about 10 Gbps. With such speed rates, 5G will provide a luxurious user experience and revolutionize the online mobility content.

5G technology will fundamentally improve the processing ability of the mobile edge/cloud. Hence, 5G handsets will have a much longer battery life than ever before.

5G is expected to use higher frequency bands (30-300 GHz) that provide better bandwidth, capacity, scalability, and lesser disconnection.

The Need for 5G 

There are several factors to consider, which are astonishingly relevant for India:

• Data consumption: India is the second-biggest smartphone market globally, leading to an immense rise in data consumption. According to Statista, the average data consumption per user per month stands close to 14GB. Further, every month broadband subscribers continue to be added.

Existing 3G/4G LTE infrastructure will struggle to resolve the growing demand for data, leading to unceasingly choked networks resulting in a bad customer experience. It is virtually impossible to roll out a new macro cell-site—4 G network emulator checks for throughput round-trip-time, bit error rate, network dropouts, and application dropouts. There are network emulation tools available to check the similar performance of a live network. These results show that the current network resources are strained since the 4G spectrum, and its infrastructure can only do so.

• Lower fiber penetration: It is practically impossible to have enhanced fiber connectivity quickly. It poses a severe challenge to macro cell towers concerning backhaul capabilities.

• Industry 4.0: The Fourth Industrial Revolution ( Industry 4.0) is kindled by emerging technologies. Without 5G Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, the Internet of Thing, and Edge Computing prove ineffective. These and such similar services are necessary to raise revenue streams for carriers as they are already loaded with financial burdens.

• Smart Cities: One of the chief reasons to roll out 5G early is the smart cities projects. As India moves forward with its Smart City vision, the underlying technology must remain relevant. Hence it is crucial to embrace 5G.

These present a strong case for an immediate roll-out of 5G networks in India. 5G networks have become a pre-requisite and not a choice anymore to foster growth and development. Gram Panchayats and the villages can make use of mmWave deployment for last-mile connectivity. Cost is significantly lower than 4G. Further, if India wishes to take full advantage of Industry 4.0, it needs 5G. This scenario will accelerate more significant economic growth and development. Every sector from the smart shop, smart factories, smart education, and smart retail stands to benefit from 5G. With 5G, India can realize the full potential of intelligent infrastructure and develop it to gain more excellent value.

Smart Surveillance Powered by 5G

For example, an intelligent surveillance system driven by 5G can examine camera feeds to identify and classify problems. Incorporating 5G enabled cutting-edge security measures to help catch troublemakers or suspects in relevant cases. Such a surveillance system will significantly reduce crime and improve the country’s existing security measures.

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5G smartphones based on Snapdragon platforms are available in the market. However, these handsets are placed at a premium and high-end products. Strong OEM adoption, coupled with availability across versatile smartphone ranges, will provide the much-needed scale to drive affordability.

5G Trials by Telecom Giants

5G trial applications submitted by Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL are expected to be approved by India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI). India is ready to join the 5G revolution soon. It is necessary to explore all three spectrum band categories. India, to realize the full benefits of 5G, millimeter wave, mid-band, and sub-6 airwave have to be examined. India was left behind in all previous ‘G’ transitions. But India, to grow technologically and economically, 5G will play a crucial role, and it must be rolled out quickly.

Key Takeaways

5G has to be employed to embrace next-generation technologies. Telecom service providers and other stakeholders are evolving continually to meet the growing technological demands. Hence, India will deploy 5G in certain areas initially depending on the priorities, and after installing the required infrastructure, 5G will spread subsequently.