5G Services: Advantages & Challenges

5G Services: Advantages & Challenges

• On the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress 2022 opening ceremony, the Indian Prime Minister recently announced the availability of 5G services in India.

About

• The fifth generation of wireless technologies or mobile networks is known as 5G. Following 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, it is a new international wireless standard.
• Network: 5G makes it possible for a novel sort of network, one that connects practically everyone and everything—including machines, objects, and devices—to one another.
• Goals: 5G will offer more consumers a more consistent user experience, huge network capacity, ultra-low latency, higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, and more reliability.
• Greater performance and greater efficiency to connect new industries and empower new user experiences.

Advantages of India's 5G introduction

• 5G wireless technology will enable ultra-high Internet speeds for Indian mobile phone customers, ushering in a new digital era in the nation.
• Socio-economic change: Industry 4.0, smart cities, financial inclusion, agriculture, health, and education are just a few of the key areas where 5G technology will bring about change.
• Global positioning: The adoption of 5G technology will support the home tech revolution and advance India's status as a global economic and technological powerhouse.
• Newer opportunities: will give start-ups new chances to develop creative solutions to current problems, produce jobs, and support India's economic resiliency.
• Self Reliant: India was reliant on foreign nations for 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies. However, with 5G, India has for the first time established a global standard in telecom technology.
• Tech Developer, not Consumer: India will now actively participate in the development and implementation of 5G-related technology rather than just being a consumer of it
• More users: According to a recent Ericsson analysis, by 2027, 39% of India's mobile subscriptions, or over 500 million customers, could be attributed to 5G technology.
• Infrastructure/Link Technology: A number of science and technology-driven applications that are helpful in daily life, such as Connected Ambulance (Emergency healthcare) and Community Clinic (Mass healthcare/treatment), will be connected by 5G technology.
• Demo of a Remote Ultrasound Robot (remote healthcare)
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) for Broadband Access in Rural Areas
• 5G core for public networks that was created locally
• Routers with high security
• Platform for AI-based Cyber Threat Detection
• IoT-based smart agriculture programme utilising HD cameras and drones

Problems with the 5G rollout:

• Technical Adoption: For the widespread rollout of 5G across India (especially in rural areas), Indian telecommunications firms will need to have a strong technology foundation and sufficient capital.
• Low Fiberization Footprint: Since only 30% of India's telecom towers are now connected by FOC, tripling fibre connectivity across the country will be necessary for effective 5G coverage.
• Hardware issue: Due to India's ban on some major international telecom OEMs, the rollout of 5G may encounter difficulties with Indian hardware.
• Spectrum pricing: The cost of 5G spectrum in India is far higher than the average cost worldwide, generating legitimate concerns about the eventual affordability of services for customers.

The Digital India Mission's role in the launch of 5G

• Affordable Electronics: Atma Nirbhar Bharat has down the cost of devices. India is currently ranked second in the world for mobile device production and is a significant mobile device exporter.
• For instance, India now has 200 manufacturing facilities, up from 2 in 2014, encouraging competition and cost-effectiveness.
• Digital Connectivity: Broadband Subscribers: India now has 80 crore broadband users, up from 6 cr in 2014.
• Optical Fibre Cable (OFC): From around 100 GPs in 2014, more than 1,70,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) are now connected with OFC.
• The number of people using the internet in rural sections of the nation is increasing more quickly than in metropolitan areas, closing the digital divide.
• Cost of Data: In 2022, the cost of data would be Rs. 10 per GB, down from Rs. 300 per GB in 2014. The average amount of data utilised per person each month is 14 GB, and the cost of data has decreased, resulting in significant monthly savings for citizens.
• Digital First concept: Although there were concerns about rural poor people using the internet and other digital technologies in their daily lives, rural India is quickly catching up.

Way ahead

• The Prime Minister's objective to promote "Atma Nirbhar Bharat," "Jai Anusandhan," and "Sabbka Saath, Sabka Vishwas" will be in harmony with 5G technology.
• It will open the door to the accomplishment of a goal to make technology accessible to the general public that functions for and with people.
• In order to ensure that 5G has the ability to improve individuals' lives beyond the simple supply of faster internet, it should be linked into policy domains like the Digital India mission. For instance, COVID-19's telemedicine.
• The development of India's Techade (technology decade) would undoubtedly be facilitated by the promotion of digitalization, indigenous technology (Make in India), and industrial revolution 4.0.

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