5G: Where does India Stand?

The NDA government in its second term had announced that it would be conducting field trials of 5G in the first 100 days of the new government.

What is 5G?

5G is the next generation of mobile internet connectivity technology offering faster speeds and more reliable connections on smartphones and other devices.

5G would offer connections that are multitudes faster than current connections, with average download speeds of around 1GBps expected to soon be the norm.

Why 5G will be a game-changer?

• The high internet speed will give huge thrust to the Internet of Things technology by providing the infrastructure needed to carry huge amounts of data and by allowing for a smarter and more connected world.
• High internet speeds will result in lower latency and lesser outage scenarios which will allow cases such as automated driving and telemedicine to flourish.
• The panel constituted by the Department of Telecommunication to prepare a roadmap for the rollout of 5G noted in its report that 5G services would have a cumulative economic impact of more than $1 trillion by 2035.
• Estimates also suggest that operators are expected to rake in an additional $582 billion globally from digitalisation of the economy through 5G technology by 2026, and the largest opportunity for revenues created or enhanced by 5G will be in the manufacturing, energy and utility sectors.

Where does India Stand?

The Ministry of Telecom has cleared the proposal to allow Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio to conduct 5G spectrum trial from next month onwards for three months. The equipment vendors viz. Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson have been selected for the trail.

Huawei Fix

Huawei is the world’s largest maker of telecommunications equipment and is the No. 2 vendor of smartphones, ahead of Apple Inc. and behind only Samsung Electronics Co.

The US has effectively banned Huawei from selling its products after a 2012 congressional report stated that Huawei could be a security risk since Huawei’s owners have close links with the Chinese military and such a company cannot be trusted with data.

The US has asked countries to take a stand on whether or not to allow the company to operate. While India is yet to take a stand on whether or not to allow Huawei in 5G trials, UK has not followed the US citing benefits to operators from Huawei’s cost-efficient technology as the reason behind not banning the firm.