5G is the next big thing in the telecom industry. While several Indian operators are yet to implement 4G services, telecom gear makers are betting big on the 5G technology in India. At the recently concluded ETTelecom 5G Congress summit in New Delhi, top executives from several telecom gear makers promised said they're expecting India to play a leading role in 5G-related developments. At the same time, the Indian government is also ensuring that the country gets 5G technology along with other countries.
Sanjay Malki from Nokia at the summit said that it would be a much shorter timeframe for 5G to come to India when compared to 2G, 3G, and 4G arrival. “I am confident that we would be leading the global arena on 5G…It would be the much shorter timeframe in which 5G would come to India than whatever we had with 2G, 3G, and 4G,” Sanjay Malik said at the event.
“Consultation is in the process to identify spectrum for 5G in India, and to make sure that it is in sync with global standards so that we don't lag behind,” Malik further added.
Joakim Sorelius, Ericsson's Global Head of 5G and RAN Architecture said that India has a very good opportunity to get the 5G technology first. He also quoted that Ericsson is excited about bringing 5G infrastructure to India. “For India, it is an opportunity to benefit from technology that 5G brings. India has a scale for 5G.”
Sorelius further said that India should consider the 3 GHz to 6 GHz spectrum band, keeping the lower bands aside for 5G coverage. “We, however, advocate that all available bands should be made available for cellular connectivity in India,” said Sorelius.
Lastly, Emmanuel Coelho Alves, Huawei’s global director of wireless marketing pointed out his views as “India is making the right progress in ensuring the direction for the Industry for 5G.” Alves also admitted that India is “extremely well positioned," on the back of the disruptive increase of 4G usage in the country over the last one year. “The daily data traffic will grow significantly, and 5G will play a major role in further augmenting this increase,” he added.
Alves also highlighted that apart from just 5G telecom services, the industry would need to look at other services 5G verticals which are not related to the telecom industry. “Healthcare, transport, power and manufacturing are some key industries. We already work with these industries and have an early engagement to try to explore their recommendations for 5G,” Alves concluded.
