Ceragon, one of the major 5G and mobile network solutions providers based out of Israel, said that it has received follow up orders from the tier-1 telecom service providers (TSPs) of India, totalling over $35 million in Q2. The big order from the Indian telecom companies is a testament to the fact that the operators want to roll out 5G networks as fast as possible. Before the 5G spectrum auctions take place in India, the operators want to ensure that their mobile networks are 5G ready.
Indian Telcos Want to be Ready for 5G
As per an ET Telecom report, Doron Arazi, CEO of Ceragon Networks, said that 5G spectrum auctions in India are planned for the first half of 2022, and that is why mobile operators in the country are moving fast to ensure that their networks are 5G ready.
Arazi added that Indian operators had chosen Ceragon for being a part of the 5G field trials for testing the company’s mmWave frequency solutions. Note that mmWave frequency bands will be able to show the true potential of 5G to the users in India.
There’s no fixed date available for the 5G spectrum auctions in India for now. The spectrum auctions are overseen by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in the country. There are still many issues that DoT needs to resolve before the spectrum auctions are announced. First and foremost is the price of the airwaves in the 700 MHz band. Operators have ignored the 700 MHz spectrum band because of its unfair pricing.
Further, the Indian Navy is a little reluctant in vacating 100 MHz of airwaves in the 3.3 GHz to 3.4 GHz band for the 5G auctions. The mid-band airwaves will be crucial for the telcos to ensure that customers get good speeds, and that is why it is important that it is included in the auctions.
