THE FIFTH GENERATION TECHNOLOGY AND INDIAN ADVANCEMENT IN 5G : A PRAGMATIC VIEW

The industrial revolution in the late 1700s and early 1800s kickstarted the exponential advancement of the human race in the field of technology and machine, thus laying the basis for decades of technological marvels in the industry, which eventually led to the digital revolution in the later half of the 20th century. The digital revolution, having the potential to catapult science and technology in an unprecedented way, is now on the verge of another great leap in the communication and networking field- The introduction of 5G.

THE NETWORK GENERATIONS

Telecommunication technology took a great leap with the development of 1G, the 1st generation of cellular network, in the 1970s, which introduced voice calling over mobile systems for the first time. The second generation came up with increased coverage and speeds and introduced new features like mobile data services and SMS. It also played a substantial role in introducing the concept of the internet and the world wide web. This was closely followed by the third generation, which offered much better internet connectivity and introduced video calling for the first time. 3G was faster and more stable than its predecessors and played a significant role in popularizing the internet and the world wide web to a larger multidisciplinary audience. Then came the 4G network, which offered speeds as high as 100 Mbps, almost 20 times what 3G offered, and made streaming HD content effortless. With the combination of increased digital security and overall optimization that reduced the cost of providing services, 4G once again redefined the cell service. However, there is no such thing as too fast; thus, we have 5G all set to take things further.

THE 5th GENERATION

The latest global wireless standard, the fifth-generation mobile network, is about more than just multi-gigabit speeds. It offers a whole new ecosystem that can connect virtually everyone and everything with the help of the interconnection of gadgets like mobiles and other digital devices to objects and machines. The technology seeks to provide seamless coverage, high data speeds, a highly reliable communications system, and low latency, i.e., the time data takes to get transferred across a network.

The 5G is capable of offering speeds as high as 20 Gbps which is 200 times faster than the existing 4G network system. It has a data capacity that is 100 times more than that of 4G with a latency of less than 1 millisecond, which allows internet-based activities to happen in real-time for the first time in history effectively. All this can contribute tremendously to the realization and improvement of technologies such as:-

• Self-driving vehicles

• Real-time augmented reality service

• Remote surgery and examination

• Health monitoring system and automation of surgical machinery.

• Mission critical services - security & safety

• Internet of Energy/Utility management

• Massive Media Content Streaming service

• Smart Grids

• High definition, real-time gaming, and so on.

5G networks are expected to contribute immensely to a new era of professional live-streaming of sports and other live events. This dramatic improvement in media consumption would no doubt trigger the development of new innovative technology for premium content services such as dedicated virtual reality sports streaming, 3D surround live events, and augmented reality.

INDIAN PREPAREDNESS FOR 5G

As per market projections, India is expected to emerge into a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2030, and 5G would be an integral part of this exponential growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally launched 5G services in India on 1st October 2022 at the 6th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC). The announcements by the private CSPs on providing 5G services across India by the end of 2023-early 2024 were also made during the event. Reliance Jio is planning for pan India 5G coverage by December 2023, while Airtel is aiming for pan India 5G presence by the end of march 2024. Vodafone Idea (VI) has also announced its plans to roll out 5G services in India soon. The government mopped up a record amount of Rs 1.5 trillion from India's biggest-ever spectrum auction that ended on 1st August 2022 after 40 rounds spread over seven days.

Indian CSPs are not entirely depending on global vendors for equipment and instead developing their own indigenously built 5G infrastructure and technology. The indigenously developed 5G standards, called 5Gi, has acquired approval from 3GPP and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and is made part of the global 5G standards. Even though complete indigeneity in 5G technology is still far-fetched for India, there is some progress in the case of 5G compared with 3G or 4G.

IS IT WORTH THE HYPE?

5G, with its superior features and technology channelized through eMBB, uRLLC, and mMTC capabilities, is expected to revolutionize the industrial landscape and reshape the global economy. 5G has far-reaching applications across industry verticals in the near future and has the potential to reinvigorate society and its economy. However, as of now, the application of 5G technology is mainly confined to facilitating faster mobile networks and coverage. For the commoner, 5G implies faster connectivity in their electronic devices.

Smartphone manufacturers are among the few who were able to monetize the concept of 5G and make the most out of it even in the starting phase of the technology. They started rolling out their new models of smartphones with 5G compatibility in early 2020, even though there was no proper infrastructure for implementing the 5G network. Each and every brand of smartphone manufacturer came up with their 5G compatible device shortly after this, and soon 5G smartphones were flooding the market. It has become a marketing norm for manufacturers to release a 5G variant for all the models of smartphones they release.

5G has become the best advertising strategy for smartphone manufacturers in the present-day world, and exploiting the consumer's extravagant attitude towards 5G was a huge success.

Its impact was conspicuous to the extent that almost 95% of consumers prefer 5G smartphones over 4G and are willing to pay extra to get a 5G compatible device even when there is no proper infrastructure for 5G.

THE SMARTPHONE SCAM

The clever advertising strategy for 5G has added value to the very concept of 5G even though the technology is still in its infancy and may take years for its proper implementation. The need for proper awareness of the consumer is invariably exploited to make huge profits. As of now,

• There is a lack of a uniform policy framework which results in delays due to complex procedures across states. Densification of the network, as promulgated by 5G use cases, is expected to require the deployment of extensive infrastructure; however, any inconsistencies and delays while securing RoW may further result in complex deployment and longer build time.

• There is a fundamental distinction within 5G technology that is conveniently ignored by those who advertise the perks of 5G -The Non-StandAlone(NSA) 5G and StandAlone(SA) 5G. The ultra-high speeds and low latency offered by 5G can only be provided by SA. NSA uses existing 4G technology and towers to provide 5G. In contrast, SA requires everything to be set up from scratch and is very expensive.

• 5G mainly consists of two band ranges- the sub-6 GHz band( frequency<6 GHz) and mm wave ( frequency above 24GHz). The more the frequency, the better the speed and the shorter the range. True 5G can be experienced with only mm waves as sub-6 GHz only offers speeds slightly greater than 4G.

• As the speed of 5G increases, compromises are to be made on the range and penetration power, i.e., one might get really high speeds when standing in close proximity to a 5G tower but might end up with a much slower speed as the person moves away from the tower. Thus, towers or boosters must be set up in closer proximity to get proper 5G coverage, thus adding to the infrastructure cost. The penetration power of 5G is so low that it finds it difficult to pass through concrete walls, thus requiring boosters if we are to use it inside buildings and rooms.

•There are mainly 8 bands in India that provide a 5G network, namely n28,n5,n8,n3,n1,n41,n78,n77, and n258. These are the bands to look for when one buys a smartphone if they are to experience 5G. Most smartphone brands provide 2-3 bands for 5G so as to sell the device under the tag name of 5G, but having 2-3 bands would never ensure an authentic 5G experience. Larger the number of bands, the better the experience.

• Faster internet speed also means that burns out significantly large amounts of data while streaming content and downloading files. So existing data pack plans would become inadequate for daily use, and the consumer would be forced to opt for larger packages, thus adding to the increased expenses on the part of the consumer.

5G is a technology that might take years before delivering what it promises and needs a lot of additional infrastructure for proper coverage. It may take at least 2-3 years for 5G to get established, let alone attain perfection and create a revolution in data transfer speeds. Almost all smartphones nowadays have an average lifespan of 5-6 years, and most users tend to upgrade their smartphones by buying a new one within just 3-4 years. So buying a 5G smartphone when the technology is 2-3 years away from getting established might not be a smart move after all.

CONCLUSIVE REMARKS

5G will no doubt revolutionize the way we see and interact with society as a whole, be it natural or virtual. 5G is destined to extend beyond traditional voice and data services. The increased reliability, lower latency, increased connectivity density, and ultra-high speeds that 5G offers would enable massive commercial deployments of technologies like IoT, AR/VR, and AI across industries like manufacturing and agriculture, healthcare, and automotive, amongst others. It possesses the potential to rewire the working of society as a whole through significant improvement in essential services like transport, safety, education, and so on, along with the improvement of one's digital presence in the modern world, be it social media, web browsing, digital transactions, etc. and finally bring the concept of a virtual world to reality. However, just like any other revolutionary footstep towards betterment, the proper implementation of 5G would take its time, and rushing through it without the proper development and implementation is preposterous. Advertising and marketing are the subtle art of making people believe what the corporates want them to believe, and the digital industry in India is conveniently showcasing 5G as consumer-ready even though the technology is still in its initialization phase. Consumers should be aware of what 5G offers them as of now and should ponder the question of how 5G will benefit them before jumping to availing the 5G technology. There is an urgency and eagerness with respect to the arrival of 5G in India; thus, the industry is likely to witness a timely arrival of 5G in line with global launches, unlike 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies. It is estimated that India will be 5G ready by the end of 2023, and the entire nation will have 5G coverage by the end of 2024, and when it does, it will undoubtedly be a milestone in the path towards the imminent digital era.

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BY : TOMS K NIXON

tomsknixon2002@gmail.com