[Summary: 5G deployment will definitely be a key opportunity for Indian Enterprises to gain a competitive edge in e-commerce, finance, agriculture, logistics, & other industries. That’s why it should come as no surprise that Indian enterprises have high expectations for the latest 5G network to launch this October – a network that will be capable of handling the vast number of users.]
Prologue:
After the announcement of the 5G launch on 29th September by Indian Tycoon, Mukesh Ambani, the subject has been the talk of the town (& not just the telecom sector).
The businesses in India, especially the telecom & healthcare industries, have huge expectations from 5G. The next generation of mobile communication technology is expected to handle more than 1,000X the amount of data traffic compared to 4G- providing greater coverage. And that too, with 20X the current speed.
How will 5G dominate Indian Enterprises?
By 2024, India is expected to develop the full-fledged potential of the 5G network.
As the nation has progressed in 4G deployment, it is predicted that 5G will enter into full-scale commercial use by 2023-24.
India is among the first countries to release the 5G regulations- to use its complete potential. Here’re some of the reasons why 5G will dominate Indian businesses:
- Indian enterprises are gearing up for leveraging 5G services in India. Since the nation is growing fast, 5G will help different businesses to catch up faster with enhanced speed, lower latency, & reliability.
- Approx. 1.2 billion Indians have a mobile subscription of which 750 million are smartphone users, in 2021. 5th Generation technology can help telecom businesses to handle more traffic with better coverage & energy efficiency.
- The next-gen of wireless communication technology i.e., 5G will perform better than 4G in streaming 4K videos or using AR/VR- with ultra-reliable-low-latency connection & enhanced mobile broadband.
- 5G will allow the latest technologies & concepts e.g., AI-ML, IoT, EVs, and smart cities to be a game-changer- for Indian economic growth, social development, and global competitiveness.
- Enterprises are also expecting the reduced cost of doing business along with creating new revenue sources or responding to the 5G’s massive capacity & better security.
So, Are Indian enterprises expecting high on 5G
[Text Wrapping Break]All of the above characteristics aren’t going to be smooth in the Indian landscape, especially in its initial days. Also, the Director General, COAI, Dr SP Kochhar said that IT industries are, themselves not expect consumers to contribute only 30-40% of fresh 5G revenues.
Though they do predict other enterprises to bring the remaining 70% of the 5G wealth.
- 5G Technology & infrastructure Challenges:
Deploying 5G & leveraging on its seamless connectivity asks for some technical challenges to overcome. For example,
- Frequency band: 5G deployment will need a more complex design of mobile devices.
The current LTE system operates with more than 50 frequency bands (below 3.6 GHz) & this new 5G deployment will use unlicensed spectrum (below 6 GHz) initially. This is a complex designing part- along with adding more frequency bands & establishing better coordination among them.
- Beamforming:
Beamforming technology (unlike the conventional method) will track down the user’s location & transfer signals towards it using a complicated antenna array system. It tracks a device under a particular cell type & needs high-end processing at base stations.
- MIMO technology:
The MIMO technology will help in high-speed data transfer- that requires both, complex algorithms & device capability.
Complex MIMO antennae are used to increase data transfer seamlessly from one device to another. And that too with security & privacy ensured!
- Device-to-Device (D2D) communication:
D2D communication is very crucial during emergencies e.g., any natural disaster- to reduce connectivity issues in critical cases. But this new communication concept requires a complex data transmission approach.
All of them along with ultra-low latency & higher reliability, of course!
- Infrastructure Challenges:
Not just technological but infrastructure issues (explained ahead) should also be noted & sorted out by telco giants- such as:
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Small cell design/deployment
We, at Echelon Edge, have also figured out the plan of enhancing the network without affecting the current 4G structure
- Summing up, expected higher prices of 5G services, shortage of 5G friendly smartphone followed costlier 5G phones says that 5G services won’t make much sense to the common people, especially in the beginning. Some will continue to operate on their 4G phones at least for the initial days.
- As 4G has well-penetrated 99% of Indian terrain, with high speeds at cheaper prices, 5G might seem like a solution in search of a problem. In fact, Indians are already enjoying 1GB 4G data at just ₹7 i.e., $0.09 which is the cheapest in the world.
- So, if the telecom giants adjust their data prices & other attractive strategies, only then they’ll lure consumers in the early 5G days.
The Bottom Line
Indian enterprises have high expectations of 5G in remaking the landscape of many industries and creating newer opportunities. Though 5G will provide higher speeds, lower latency, and more reliability. But to leverage seamlessly, the above-discussed technological & infrastructural challenges must be conquered.
Additionally, we are hoping that 5G will enable new technologies, such as D2D communication, and the Internet of Things, and create new revenue streams. This can definitely be achieved if all the cracks in the system are filled.
