5G Rollout: Telcos VS Big Tech Cos | Gist of Rajya Sabha TV / RSTV (now Sansad TV) - UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

• Broadband, especially mobile broadband, has become an integral part of the daily lives of citizens. The rapid expansion of 4G services across the country in last few years gave a boost to digital connectivity. 
• And now it’s time for 5G which has the potential to work as a catalyst in achieving larger overall economic growth of the country. 72 GHz of spectrum with a validity period of 20 years was put to auction to be held paving the way for rollout of 5G technology-based services capable of providing speed and capacities which would be about 10 times higher than what is possible through the current 4G services. Govt has also allowed for setting up of captive 5G networks by big tech firms.

5G

• It is the next generation cellular technology that will provide faster and more reliable communication with ultra-low latency.
• Latency is the amount of time data takes to travel between its source and destination.
• A government panel report points out that with 5G, the peak network data speeds are expected to be in the range of 2-20 Gigabit per second (Gbps).
• This is in contrast to 4G link speeds in averaging 6-7 Megabit per second (Mbps) in India as compared to 25 Mbps in advanced countries.

5G Benefits

• It will revolutionize the mobile experience, consumers will be able to download data heavy content such as 8K movies and games with better graphics in just a few seconds. But once 5G becomes commercial, users will be required to change their current devices in favour of 5G-enabled ones.
• However, it is likely that the primary use of the technology will go beyond delivery of services on personal mobiles devices.
• A government panel on 5G says the technology will extend the use of wireless technologies for the first time across completely new sectors of the economy from industrial to commercial, educational, health care, agricultural, financial and social sectors.
• The report also stresses that even after the entry of 5G into the Indian networks, the earlier generation mobile technologies (2G, 3G and 4G) will continue to remain in use and that it may take 10 or more years to phase them out.

Challenges for 5G Roll-out in India

• Procedural Delays:India’s telecom sector is greatly affected by the procedural delays and their multiple issues.
• Affordability of Spectrum:Many countries around the world may already roll out 5G connectivity to its users but, in India, the 5G spectrum is yet to be allocated.
• Last-mile Connectivity:Catering to last-mile broadband connectivity in Tier-II, Tier-III cities and rural homes are challenging since India lacks optical fiber infrastructure and Greenfield deployment which has immensely affected last-mile connectivity.
• Affordable 5G Devices:On the consumer front, affordable 5G devices are yet to take their place in the market.

Way forward for India

• Need to align Digital India with 5G technology.
• Strengthen our cyber infrastructure.
• Incentivize design and manufacture of 5G technologies, products and solutions in India.
• Allocate funds and incentivise local technology and telecom firms to develop their internal capacities which would in turn help 5G technology succeed in the country
• Promote 5G start-ups that enable this design and manufacturing capabilities.
• Promote generation of IPR backing the above designs.
• Manufacture of 5G chipsets, this may require massive investments.
• Appropriate test-beds and technology platforms to enable and help Indian technical ecosystem to have an edge in 5G.
• Accelerated deployment of next generation ubiquitous ultra-high broadband infrastructure with 100% coverage of 10 Gbps across urban India and 1 Gbps across Rural India.
• Coverage, reliability, and scalability must be optimized and seamless mobile networks will require a unified management policy to ensure consistent standards.