Is India ready for 5G in 2021? | When will 5g come to India?

The Department of Telecommunications has recently asked for inputs, frog, telcos, and other industry experts. These inputs are concerning the sale and use of the radiofrequency spectrum, including the 5G Bands for the coming 10 years. 

Very recently, the Department of Telecommunications had announced March 1 as the beginning date for the 4G spectrum auction. The last time spectrum auctions were held in India was back in 2016. 

In today's edition of Our DNS, we will be discussing 5G technology. Where does India stand and also know about the progress of other countries in this technology?

5G or the fifth generation is the latest upgrade long-term evolution mobile broadband networks, it works and mostly with three bands Low, mid, and high-frequency spectrum, all of which have their own users as well as limitations.

LOW BAND 5G SPECTRUM

The low band spectrum refers to any spectrum that is lower than 1GHz. the low band spectrum has shown good performance in terms of coverage, speed of the Internet, and data exchange.

The maximum speed is limited to 200 megabits per second. This means that it can be used for commercial cell phone users who may not have specific demands for very high-speed Internet. But the low band spectrum may not be optimal for the specialized needs of the industry.

MID BAND 5G SPECTRUM

Mid band spectrum refers to frequencies between 1GHz to 6GHz. Mid-Band Spectrum It offers higher speed compared to the low band but has certain limitations in terms of coverage, area, and penetration of signals. 

According to the telcos and companies. Indications are there that this band may be used by industries and specialized factory units for building, captive networks that can be molded into the needs of that particular industry.

HIGH BAND 5G SPECTRUM

The high band spectrum has six gigahertz frequencies and higher. The high band spectrum offers the highest speed of all three bands but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength. 

Internet speed in the high band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20GB per second, while in most cases the maximum Internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1GB per second.

Differences between 4G and 5G

5G has the capacity to be better and faster than 4G. It works on different radio spectrum frequencies, connects many more devices to the Internet, minimizes delays, and delivers ultra-fast speed.

One of the fundamental differences in 5G is the use of unique radio frequencies To achieve what 4G networks cannot, the radio spectrum is broken up into bands, each with unique features as you move up into higher frequencies. 4G networks use frequencies below 6GHz, but 5G uses extremely high frequencies in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz range. 

Is India ready for 5G in 2021? 

India is not ready for the deployment of 5G in 2021. The country has a long way to go before it can deploy a 5G network, primarily due to its lack of access to fiber-optic networks and the use of old infrastructure.

India is not ready for the deployment of 5G in 2021. The country has a long way to go before it can deploy a 5G network, primarily due to its lack of access to fiber-optic networks and the use of old infrastructure. 

As per Ericsson’s estimates, more than 90% of broadband connections in India offer speeds below 10 Mbps, while only 3% offer 50 Mbps or more. While there are some areas where India is advanced with regards to access lines and 4G coverage, that doesn’t mean that Indians won’t benefit.

GLOBAL PROGRESS OF 5G

Global telecom companies have started building five g networks more than the governments. Even the global telecom companies have started rolling it out to the customers on a trial basis. 

In countries like the US, companies such as AT&T, T Mobile, and Verizon have taken the lead when it comes to ruling out commercial 5G for the users. 

AT&T had started testing and deploying the technology as early as 2018 other companies, like Verizon, have followed the suit expanding the 5G ultra-wide broadband services to as many as 60 cities by the end of 2020. 

In China, some of the telco, such as China Unicom, had started 5G trials as early as 2018 and have since rolled out the commercial services for users. 

South Korean company Samsung, which had started researching on 5G technology back in 2011, has, on the other hand, take the lead in building the hardware for 5G networks for several companies. 

Where does India stand in this race?

To match with the global player. India in 2018 had planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, intending to capitalize on the better network speeds and strength that the technology promised.

All three dominant private telecom players - Reliance Jio Infocom, Bharti Airtel, and VI (Vodafone and Idea) have been urging the Department of Telecommunications to lay out a clear roadmap of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands. 

This will enable them to plan out the rollout of their services accordingly. However, one big hurdle is the lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with at least two of the three players, namely Bharti Airtel and VI (Vodafone and Idea), making it difficult for them to participate in the auctions. 

The spectrum sale price in India is quite high in comparison to other countries. India is currently the second-largest Internet market after China. The key issue is the overall development of Internet infrastructure in India. 

When will 5g come to India

It is very important to note that the only low and mid-band frequencies are available for 5G in India. On the other hand, Reliance Jio plans to launch an indigenously built 5G network for the country as early as the second half of 2021. 

The company is set to have a complete end-to-end 5G solution prepared by the company itself that is ready for deployment once the networks are in place. This solution can also be developed by other telecom operators as a complete managed service.

So, according to some leaks and reports by some trusted sources - It will take 2 to 3 years for 5g to be well stable in India. So wait for 2-3 years and get a proper 5G phone and enjoy a good speed of 5G.

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GOODBYE.