5G, the next-generation connectivity technology, will help the operators bring down the cost of each GB of data by a factor of 10.
According to a BW report, the Head of Ericsson India, Nitin Bansal, said, 5G will massively help with the ever-growing data demand and digitisation of India. Bansal mentioned that India is the top-ranked country when it comes to data usage per month per smartphone, with 15.7GB of data in 2020.
The number grew from 13.5GB in 2019 to 15.7GB of data in 2020. He said that the Indian operators need affordable 5G to help the country boost its pathway to a digital nation as quickly as possible. Bansal said that Ericsson is ready to help India deploy 5G right away.
5G Will Help Operators Tap Into New Revenue Streams
According to Bansal, 5G will help operators reduce their data costs and tapping into new revenue streams. There is a strong business case for 5G evident as per the ‘5G for business’ report released by Ericsson.
Bansal said that initially, 5G use cases for India would be fixed wireless access (FWA) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). With the launch of 5G networks in India, consumer demand for 4K streaming and AR activities is expected to increase multiple-folds.
With time, sectors such as healthcare, education, and manufacturing will also be able to leverage the high-bandwidth and low-latency networks powered by 5G.
Bansal noted that 5G would be crucial for the Indian economy. India has the opportunity for releasing home-grown 5G solutions and leverage them to get ahead of the world in the 5G race.
Ericsson’s Radio System hardware deployed in India is already 5G ready since 2015. According to Bansal, it could help operators provide 5G services with a simple software update. It is worth noting that Ericsson has helped operators deploy more than 79 live 5G networks across the globe.
