During the covid-19 pademic, 5G has made its reach in many countries of the world. If everything goes according to plan, then soon 5G technology can take the form of a reality here too.
But there is no doubt that the path of 5G in India is full of difficulties, in which apart from The monetary, infrastructural and down to earth difficulties, there is likewise uncertainty among the common people about the adverse effects of 5G on health.
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| The way of 5G in India is full of challenges |
Recently, a senior official of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has said that the long-awaited 5G spectrum auction can be held in India by May this year. In view of this, it is being said that if the Department of Telecom and telecom companies can complete the process of auctioning 5G spectrum without any dispute, then the use of 5G technology in the country will be started from this year in some areas and institutions. This is also reflected in some recent steps taken by the government.
During the KCovid-19 pademic, 5G has made its reach in many countries of the world. If everything goes according to plan, then soon 5G technology can take the form of a reality here too. But there is no doubt that the path of 5G in India is full of difficulties, in which apart from the economic, infrastructural and practical challenges, there is also doubt among the common people about the adverse effects of 5G on health. In such a situation, creating trust and awareness among consumers about 5G is also a big challenge.
What is 5G issue in India?
5G means fifth generation network. Earlier, 4G LTE technology was introduced in 2009. The maximum internet data speed of the 4G network has so far been recorded at 1 Gbps (Gb per second) which also makes '3D Virtual Reality' possible. In 5G, this speed will reach 10 to 20 GB per second. Broadly speaking, with the advent of 5G, the internet in our mobile phones will start running 20 to 50 times faster. With 5G internet you will be able to download a high definition movie in less than a second.
There is a plan to use mainly high band i.e. millimeter frequency in 5G. At present, our mobile phones and most laptop-commuters work on frequencies below 6 GHz. But due to the increasing number of electronic devices using the Internet, this frequency is getting jammed and is becoming a victim of overload. That is why now preparations are being made to use the empty frequency band of 24 to 40 GHz through millimeter frequency. Even though its coverage area will be less, in terms of speed, its performance will be much better.
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The biggest drawback of a high band frequency network is that it is as good as it wants in terms of speed but cannot cover a very large area. The reason for this is that millimeter waves cannot penetrate walls and mirrors, limiting its coverage area to a radius of a couple of kilometers. In the remote rural areas of a vast country like India, it is impossible to reach the Internet through a network with high band frequency. Therefore, the Department of Telecommunications is considering high band frequency within a radius of one or two kilometers as suitable. It is also advocating for widespread use of 'low band' and 'mid band' frequencies so that even remote rural areas can easily get superfast 5G internet access.
Low Band 5G provides a maximum speed of 250 Mbps on frequencies below 1 GHz. Mid band 5G provides a maximum speed of 900 Mbps on the frequency of 1 to 6 GHz. And what about the high band frequency? It gives at least 1 Gbps speed on the frequency of 24 to 40 GHz.
5G technology will work on ultra-low latency. Latency is the time it takes to transfer data from one device to another. At present, the latency of 4G is 50 milliseconds, according to technical experts, 5G will reduce it by at least one millisecond. This will prove to be very effective for activities like Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, Factory Robots, Driverless Cars, Smart Cities, Online Gaming and very fast connectivity and real time updates.
The government is confident that by December 2022, 5G will start making its way in India. It has also been announced by the Department of Communications to provide 5G network facilities in 13 cities by December 2022.
However, if experts are to be believed, India will not be able to provide 5G as a product to its consumers before the year 2023.
Experts raise the question whether the country's telecom companies are ready for 5G? This question is abound in the sense that consumers are still seen complaining about 4G network and internet speed in different parts of the country.
In many areas of the country, many people are still using the speed of 2G and 3G in the name of 4G. For them, high-speed internet is like a dream even today. Anyway, India ranks 129th out of 139 countries in terms of internet speed. In India, maybe even after the rollout of 5G by 2023, the internet speed is getting the same as 4G and 3G in the name of 5G?
In view of the vastness, system, working style and problems of the Indian subcontinent, the path of 5G in the country appears quite challenging. Suitable infrastructure (optic fiber cables, towers etc.) and new gadgets will have to be developed to run 5G internet. At present, most of the handsets being used extensively are for 4G only. In such a situation, companies making handsets will have to develop 5G compatible handsets and applications, on which the pace of work is slow.
The question arises whether India will be able to rollout 5G infrastructure and services within 12-13 months? It is worth noting that in this matter, our previous record regarding 4G and 3G has been very bad.
The entry of Reliance Jio in the telecom market has changed the face and face of the telecom companies. Expensive spectrum, unlimited voice calls and very cheap data tariffs have spoiled the balance sheets of companies. In the current situation, if the bids are invited for 5G spectrum, how will the Internet Service Provider companies participate in it? At present, the entire responsibility of 5G rests on select Internet service providers like Jio, Airtel, but how much preparation is there for them? However, only these few companies have to face the technical and policy challenges in the way of the 5G network.
The base prices of 5G spectrum in India are much more expensive than the global average and the telecom market is burdened with stiff competition as well as debt of around Rs 8 lakh crore. Companies are not able to make profit. In such a situation, if the auction for 5G spectrum is done now, then how will the companies take part in it? Anyway, the history of bidding for spectrum by taking loans has not been very good in India. An example of this is the 2G spectrum scam.
There are many health apprehensions and conspiracy-theories regarding 5G as compared to the previous telecom technologies. There are also unexpected challenges of opposition, distrust and controversy over its health effects, the spread of diseases or its adverse effects on air travel. However, no solid scientific evidence has been found so far so that it can be said that 5G is harmful or dangerous for humans.
Certainly, with the advent of 5G, not only people will get great connectivity, but many sectors like mass communication, education, health, banking, agriculture, engineering, medicine, business, administration etc. will also be benefited widely. It is possible that in the next one-and-a-half years, commercial use of 5G may start in some areas, companies and institutions on an experimental level, but it is not impossible but difficult to reach it to the common people. In reality!