5G CALLING

Let’s get the facts first. Fifth-generation or 5G telephony will not only bring in blazing-fast Net speed or clear and uninterrupted voice services but also connect billions of devices, help economies extract actionable intelligence from data. Experts believe that faster connectivity, ultra-low latency and greater bandwidth will advance societies, transform industries and enhance our day-to-day experiences.Futuristic services, such as e-health, data-linked vehicles and traffic systems and advanced cloud gaming are already getting delivered to customers, thanks to the arrival of 5G.
NATIONAL SCENARIO
India is the No. 1 consumer of mobile data in the world and 5G will further augment this demand and usage, say experts. "The country has witnessed a 300% jump in the number of 5G smartphone users in the past two years. Over 100 million 5G-ready smartphone owners are waiting for an upgrade to 5G in 2023," says a report prepared by Ericsson Consumer Lab.
The trend of mobile adoption and usage in Bengal, as per the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), resembles the national data.
INFRA NEEDS
The latest technology requires network elements to be closer to the users, devices or applications — a process known as densification — with the installation of smaller and lower power-radiating 5G BTS antennas requiring less space. Accordingly, the infrastructure is progressively shifting from big-size towers to smaller poles, low-height tools on the street along with more ‘in-building solutions’ (IBS). "For a very low, but continuous and uninterrupted supply of power to these small 5G antennas, generators or DG sets will not be feasible," said a top COAI official, adding that the state electricity regulatory commission needs to provide power connections to the telecom sites at subsidised rates.
BENGAL WAVE
Providing updates on 5G deployment in Bengal, Lt Gen S P Kochhar, director general, COAI, told TOI: "Like any other state, West Bengal would gain from the advanced technological offerings of 5G, which would boost several industry verticals."
According to Kochhar, the multi-fold advantages of 5G would facilitate immense enhancements in the fields of education, agriculture, skill training, among others. 5G’s ability to enable massive machine-to-machine communications will help industries upgrade their facilities. "For example, ports in Bengal can improve their operational efficiencies, automation of processes and equipment, smart data analytics, etc," added the COAI DG.
Biz Scope
Experts believe that 5G will usher in novel business models enabling TSPs to offer innovative applications to individuals as well as different economic verticals. "New and emerging technologies such as convergence, Big Data, IoT, AI, high-tech gaming, AR/VR apps, high-speed video streaming, Cloud and robotics will bring about changes in life and work of individuals and enterprises alike," said a Jio spokesperson.
Prashant Singhal, global emerging markets TMT (technology, media and telecommunications) leader at Ernst & Young, feels 5G will bring in a great transformation across all domains in the ecosystem such as manufacturing, retail, logistics, healthcare, education, agriculture, financial and social sectors etc. "In telecom sector, data usage will rise with the introduction of 5G. Enterprises will be embracing 5G for faster data and more productivity. As a result, we will have revenue growth in the telecom sector," he added.
The Jio-Airtel Story
Reliance Jio, which is developing a 5G standalone network with zero dependence on its 4G network, is all set to cover a major part of Kolkata by end of this year and complete the process by June 2023.
"In Bengal, we will soon launch 5G in Siliguri. In Kolkata, the coverage is ramped up on a daily basis," a Jio official had said. Jio has launched 5G beta services in Kolkata. Jio True 5G services will be available across Bengal by December 2023.
"Rural and many smaller towns of Bengal which don’t have fibre broadband services will be benefitted from this service," said a Reliance Jio spokesperson.
In Bengal, Bharti Airtel is all set to bolster the entire portfolio of services that it offers. "We plan to deploy our services in other cities, including Kolkata, very soon. With 5G, the state will get a fillip to economic growth," a Bharti Airtel spokesperson said. "In West Bengal, we are live in Siliguri already."
Airtel 5G Plus services are being rolled out in a phased manner. Customers who have 5G smartphones will enjoy high-speed Airtel 5G Plus services on their existing data plans until the rollout is more widespread, added the company official. "No SIM change needed as the existing Airtel 4G SIM is 5G enabled."
HURDLES SO FAR
The critical factors for the smooth implementation of 5G are "fiberisation" and "towerisation". Although the Central government has amended the Right of Way (RoW) norms to help facilitate faster deployments of telecom infrastructure across states, challenges remain.
"We urge the Bengal government to urgently adopt and implement the Central RoW Rules in letter and spirit," said the COAI director general.
Currently, state and local bodies/land owning authorities also reportedly impose exorbitant charges for deploying telecom infrastructure on the street.
TIME LIMIT
Right now, 5G rollouts are happening in some busy and affluent pockets of Tier I cities — mostly in B2B (business to business) segments via private networks. B2C (business to consumer) connectivity will take some time for the large part of the country to get covered. "We will see a lot of private networks coming in for the 5G adoption in the B2B segment in a few months. Although telecom firms are optimistic, a complete B2C coverage will take a couple of years," said Singhal.
Tech giants such as Ericsson, Nokia, IBM and Kindle are partnering with communications service providers and the IITs to bringing together academia, industry and start-ups. Amitabh Ray, MD, Ericsson Global Services India, told TOI: "However, to truly capitalise on 5G’s value, we musy fast-track its development in every state...It is possible to scale up 5G, while simultaneously reducing energy consumption."