5G networks could not arrive in India for at least two more years, a report by ET Telecom from earlier this week suggests. Although the Covid-19 pandemic is seen as a stumbling factor for many expected actions in the technology and telecommunications industries, reports say the Telecom Department held a meeting earlier this week on spectrum auctions and addressed a potential delay in starting 5G auctions in India by at least 2021. If the process is prolonged, it will result in delays in 5 G trials and related procedures, which will in effect push the introduction of commercial 5 G services back to at least 2022.
Alongside a weak economy, India's high base price of 5 G spectrum, priced at Rs 492 crore per network, is seen as dissuasive to India's telecom operators. After being held back by heavy dues under the 'adjusted gross revenue' clause, Vodafone-Idea, one of India's three major telecom players and once the largest by market share, came close to contemplating an exit from the Indian telecommunications industry, as stated in various reports. Though the other two operators, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, are faring considerably better, reports say that the base price of 5 G spectrum in India is considered too high by all three operators.
Alongside a weak economy, India's high base price of 5 G spectrum, priced at Rs 492 crore per network, is seen as dissuasive to India's telecom operators. After being held back by heavy dues under the 'adjusted gross revenue' clause, Vodafone-Idea, one of India's three major telecom players and once the largest by market share, came close to contemplating an exit from the Indian telecommunications industry, as stated in various reports. Though the other two operators, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, are faring considerably better, reports say that the base price of 5 G spectrum in India is considered too high by all three operators.
What are 5G networks?
Upon arrival in India, 5 G mobile networks will use a modern radio technology and a different network architecture to offer higher capacity and lower latency than the 4G (LTE) and 3G networks we now have. 5G promises data peak velocities of up to 10 Gbps-up to 100 times faster than 4 G 100 Mbps. Latency may be less than a millisecond in 5 G networks, or 60-120 times greater than 4 G, a measure of the time it takes data to move from the handset to the remote server.
Reliance Jio was Indian government's first approach to conduct 5 G mobile network trials. Strategy Head Anshuman Thakur said in September 2019 that Jio is ready for 5 G and has the network and backhaul in place, only having to make spectrum and infrastructure investments. The business is also looking at startups to build their entire '5 G product package' which includes smartphones and set-top boxes. Jio is also the only operator with an all-IP network, an significant prerequisite for the introduction of 5G services, enabling the business to seamlessly introduce 5G. It will perform 5G trials with Samsung, its 4 G network provider, and has said that it would expand its collaborations to 5G trials to include Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia.
Airtel said it'll be working on its trials with Huawei, ZTE, Ericsson and Nokia. It has installed 100 hops of 5 G transmission technology equipment supplied by Huawei, boosting its backhaul capacity by a factor of four, and has signed agreements with Cisco and Ericsson to speed up its core network in preparation for 5 G coverage.