5G TECHNOLOGY AND ITS FUTURE IN INDIA

Future of 5G Technology In India

The 5G mobile cellular communications system provides a far higher level of performance than the previous generations of mobile communications systems.It is not just the next version of mobile communications, evolving from 1G to 2G, 3G, 4G and now 5G. This new technology has been driven by specific uses ad applications.

It has been driven by the need to provide ubiquitous connectivity for applications as diverse as automotive communications, remote control with haptic style feedback, huge video downloads, as well as the very low data rate applications like remote sensors and what is being termed the IoT, Internet of Things.

What Is 5G Technology Exactly?

5G networks are digital cellular networks, in which the service area covered by providers is divided into small geographical areas called cells. Analog signals representing sounds and images are digitized in the phone, converted by an analog to digital converter and transmitted as a stream of bits. All the 5G wireless devices in a cell communicate by radio waves with a local antenna array and low power automated transceiver (transmitter and receiver) in the cell, over frequency channels assigned by the transceiver from a common pool of frequencies, which are reused in geographically separated cells. The local antennas are connected with the telephone network and the Internet by a high bandwidth optical fiber or wireless backhaul connection. Like existing cellphones, when a user crosses from one cell to another, their mobile device is automatically "handed off" seamlessly to the antenna in the new cell.

Usage:

The ITU-R has defined three main uses for 5G. They are Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) uses 5G as a progression from 4G LTE mobile broadband services, with faster connections, higher throughput, and more capacity. Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) refer to using the network for mission critical applications that requires uninterrupted and robust data exchange. Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) would be used to connect to a large number of low power, low cost devices, which have high scalability and increased battery lifetime, in a wide area. Neither URLLC nor mMTC are expected to be deployed widely before 2021.

Usage In Daily life:

Being able to download a full-length HD movie in seconds and share your wow-moments with friends – that’s just the beginning. The true value of 5G is the opportunity it presents for people, business and the world at large: industries, regions, towns and cities that are more connected, smarter and more sustainable.

Speed of 5G:

5G NR speed in sub-6 GHz bands can be slightly higher than the 4G with a similar amount of spectrum and antennas, though some 3GPP 5G networks will be slower than some advanced 4G networks, such as T-Mobile's LTE/LAA network, which achieves 500+ Mbit/s in Manhattan. The 5G specification allows LAA (License Assisted Access) as well but LAA in 5G has not yet been demonstrated. Adding LAA to an existing 4G configuration can add hundreds of megabits per second to the speed, but this is an extension of 4G, not a new part of the 5G standard.Speeds in the less common millimeter wave spectrum can be substantially higher.
5G will substantially improve the mobile internet. LTE is currently the fastest mobile technology available, supporting peak data rates of up to 300 megabits per second (Mbit/s). Even after the introduction of 5G LTE will still be available for consumers. Speed is the benchmark for wireless network performance.

Why it is a game changer?

 It will improve your network connection dramatically. You won’t have to deal with disruptions when sharing videos from crowded arenas, nor will high-quality videos on your newsfeed cause frustration from all the buffering.Instead, you’ll get a faster, more stable, more secure connection – along with new services and experiences, just around the corner. More efficient capabilities and vastly increased capacity means you’ll enjoy better performance than ever before.

5G Launch Date in India:

India could soon join the elite list of countries that has 5G networks, if the timelines laid out by the Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad are followed for the process. But the rollout will be easier said than done in India, since there are some pending issues that need to be addressed.
First is the matter of how much the operators will have to pay for the 5G spectrum. In August 2018, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended that the Department of Telecom (DoT) should auction 20 megahertz (MHz) blocks in the 3,300-3,600 MHz spectrum band, which has been lined up for 5G, at a price of Rs 492 crore per MHz. Surely, these auctions will raise a lot of revenue for the government. To put this into perspective, the government revenue was to the tune of Rs 65,789 crore when the latest round of spectrum auctions happened in 2017.

The government of India has not taken a final decision on the matter, Huawei has urged the authorities to make a decision on whether the company will be a part of the 5G rollout in India. Huawei India CEO, Jay Chen has reportedly said that this is the right time for the telecom department to make the decision. Huawei has been in close engagement with the telecom department for close to 8 months now, something Chen believes was positive. Telecom Minister RS Prasad has already said that the department will take a final call on whether Huawei will participate in the 5G rollout. The backdrop for all this is the ban on Huawei in the US, for fears that the company can spy on global citizens and the close proximity to the Chinese government.