India calling: 5G networks may be in place by 2020

India calling: 5G networks may be in place by 2020

News

1. The Indian government is aiming to commercially introduce 5G services in the country by the end of 2020, almost in line with rest of the world.

Important facts

2. 5G is the next generation mobile Internet connectivity that would offer much faster and more reliable networks, which would form the backbone for the emerging era of Internet of Things (IoT).

Global work on 5G

3. The 5G standards, is being developed by the third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an industry driven standardization body which envisages high speed links with peak rates of 2 to 20 Gbps for various services.

Proposed uses of 5G technology

4. 5G is expected to connect new devices including machines, sensors, actuators, vehicles, robots and drones, to support a much larger range of applications and services
5. Initially the 5G network will see usage in key government projects such as smart cities and Digital India, besides other business-to-business applications
6. The largest opportunity, from 5G would be seen in sectors like manufacturing, energy and utilities followed by public safety and health sectors.

Proposed Auction of spectrum for 5G in India

7. The reserve price for proposed spectrum band for 5G services in 3300-3600 MHz frequency had been fixed at ₹492 crore per MHz for a pan-India block of 20 MHz, meaning operators would have to spend out about ₹10,000 crore.
8. The high-level panel has recommended that 5G programmes should be funded by the government.

Expected revenue generation from 5G in India

9. 5G would enable a $27-billion revenue opportunity for Indian telecom operators by 2026.
10. The government expects the total economic impact of 5G on India to be about $1 trillion by 2035