5G in India

The technology known as 5G has been making headlines for quite some time. Therefore, it is essential to have a solid understanding of the specifics, as well as the benefits and drawbacks, of the various technologies. Learn all there is to know about 5G right here.

The acronym “5G” refers to the mobile network that is of the fifth generation.

The next generation of mobile networks, known as 5G, will be the driving force behind the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industrial 4.0.

In addition, 5G will enhance the quality of service delivery and contribute to the advancement of innovation by making it possible to build more intelligent and advanced civilizations.

What is 5G?

Because of its extremely high frequency and low susceptibility to interference from other signals in its environment, the millimeter-wave spectrum, which will be used for the operation of the 5G network, allows for the transmission of massive volumes of data at extremely rapid rates.

The long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks have been upgraded to the newest standard, known as 5G.

It has been demonstrated that 5G’s high-band spectrum can support internet rates of up to 20 gigabits per second (Gbps) (gigabits per second).

5G mainly works in 3 bands:

Low band spectrum: It has good coverage and speed of internet and data exchange however the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
Mid-band spectrum: It offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
High-band spectrum: It has the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.

What is the difference between 5G and 4G?

4G	5G
Uses lower reading frequencies of 700 MHz to 2500 MHz.	Uses much higher radio frequencies of 28 GHz.
Low speed with less data transfer.	Faster speeds with more data transfer.
Latency: the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction.Higher latency as compared to 5G that is about 20-30 milliseconds.	Has lower latency which is predicted to be below 10 milliseconds, and in best cases around 1 millisecond.
Supports a lesser number of devices (about 4,000 devices per square kilometre).	Uses a millimetre-wave spectrum which enables more devices to be used within the same geographic area supporting around one million per square kilometre.
Has led to more congestion and lesser coverage.	It uses a new digital technology that improves coverage, speed, and capacity.

Advantages of 5G for India

The next generation mobile network has the potential to provide a wide range of benefits to the Indian economy, which, when combined with artificial intelligence, provides a new face to a connected and autonomous system. The potential for this network to provide these benefits lies in its transformative potential.

It is possible that 5G networks will make services more easily accessible, such as mobile banking and healthcare, and will enable an exponential expansion in the number of opportunities for individuals who are unemployed or underemployed to engage in employment that is both satisfying and productive.

Policymakers in India have the ability to educate citizens and businesses, as well as give them more authority, and thereby turn current cities into smart and innovative cities.

Socioeconomic Benefits This may make it possible for residents and communities to receive the socioeconomic benefits and conveniences that are provided by a more developed, data-intensive, and digital economy.

In a broader sense, the applications of 5G technology in India may include enhanced outdoor and indoor broadband, the Internet of things (IoT), smart cities and smart agriculture, energy monitoring, remote monitoring, smart grids, telehealth, industrial automation, remote patient monitoring, and industrial automation, to name a few of the areas.
In the not-too-distant future, 5G technology may find its way into agriculture and “smart farming.” Farmers are able to simply keep track of their cattle by monitoring their locations using technologies such as smart RFID sensors and GPS. Controlling irrigation systems, preventing unauthorised access, and managing energy use are all potential applications for smart sensors.
With the assistance of a dependable wireless network that is connected to the opposite side of the world, it will be possible for medical professionals to carry out more complex medical treatments. Connecting with patients from any location at any time and providing them with advice when it’s required is now possible. Researchers are hard at work developing intelligent medical equipment that are capable of doing remote surgery. Wearable technology is one example of an intelligent medical equipment that may continuously monitor a patient’s condition and sound an alarm in the event of an emergency.

Challenges for rolling out 5G

Critical infrastructures: 5G will require a fundamental change to the core architecture of the communication system. Since the major flaw of data transfer using 5G is that it can’t carry data over longer distances, the 5G technology needs to be augmented to existing infrastructure.
Financial liability: For the transition from 4G to 5G technology, one has to upgrade to the latest cellular technology, thereby creating financial liability on consumers.
Capital inadequacy: Lack of adequate capital with suitable telecom companies (like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea) is delaying the 5G spectrum allocation.
Late adoption: Countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia are late in adopting 5G technology, hence, may get decreased revenue from the service.
Government subsidies: The likelihood of government subsidies is low, because of the history of high reserve prices set by the governments for spectrum auctions amid ongoing fiscal deficits.
Digital divide: 5G will not bridge the digital divide between rural and urban in the short term, rather this may increase it.
Niche service: 5G will be a niche service unlike 3G and 4G which were distributive services. It will get intensified over a comparatively longer period and concentrated to particular sectors.
Previous technology: Consumers are still struggling with basic network issues like call drops and interrupted data services. 4G networks still cause frequent disruptions in internet services.
Interference: There are concerns that the rollout of 5G mobile service could potentially interfere with aircraft navigation systems. Air India cancelled eight flights on US routes in January 2022.