Importance of 5G and the roadmap for India

■ Importance of 5G and the roadmap for India 

✅The ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona has underlined the importance of 5G 

✅It is the latest telecommunications network technology standard, which ensures ultra-high speeds of data flow.

 

✅This will be used by mobile networks to provide services to milions of people in near future 

● 5G Network

✅It is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks

✅It will eventually replace or at least augment 4G LTE connection.

 

✅5G network technology is getting more significant as the need for high-speed data has risen exponentially during the pandemic when work from home, online education, and online shopping became the norm. 

● Significance

✅The convergence of a cluster of revolutionary technologies, including 5G, the cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and data analytics, along with growing start-up community, promise to accelerate and deepen India's digital engagement, opening up a new horizon of opportunities, according to India's National Digital Communications Policy 2018. 

● Global position of 5G network 

✅Nearly 200 countries have deployed 5G, with nations such as China, Japan, South Korea, and the US taking the lead. 

✅The number of 5G connections globally is set to reach 1 bilion in 2022, according to GSMA. 

✅From about 6% of total connections in 2021, 5G will account for around 25% of total mobile connections in the world by the end of 2025. 

● Position of India 

✅India is set to conduct its first 5G spectrum auctions in the first half of this year.

✅The government plans to launch 5G services by 15 August, according to some reports. 

✅Indian carriers such as Reliance Jio,Airtel, and Vodafone Idea have conducted 5G trials with various vendors

✅They are awaiting the telecom regulator's recommendations on pricing ofthe 5G spectrum.

✅Spectrum pricing as high as ₹50,000 crore for pan-India 5G airwaves for a single operator has kept carriers away from bidding for the spectrum in previous auctions. 

✅Carriers want the 5G spectrum to be given at affordable prices, which will help them deploy pan-India 5G networks. 

● Economic impact of 5G 

✅Mobile technologies and services generated $4.5 trillion of economic value in 2021, according to the Global Mobile Economy Report by GSMA.

 

✅The association expects this to grow to nearly $5 trillion by 2025. 

✅5G is expected to benefit all sectors, with services and manufacturing experiencing the biggest impact. 

✅Mobile operators are expected to invest more than $600 billion worldwide between 2022 and 2025 in capital expenditure, of which 85% will be in 5G networks. 

✅This will boost job creation. 

● Health impacts of 5G 

✅No harmful health consequence has been directly connected to exposure to wireless devices after much research performed in this direction

✅The basic mechanism of interaction between radiofrequency fields and the human body is tissue heating. Current radiofrequency exposure levels result in a minor temperature rise in the human body. 

✅As the frequency rises, less energy penetrates into the body tissues, and absorption of the energy is restricted to the body's surface (skin and eye). 

● Way forward 

✅Boosting Domestic 5G Production: If the country wants to realise the 5G India goal, it must support and develop 

indigenous 5G hardware manufacture at an unprecedented rate. 

✅Rationalisation of spectrum pricing: it is required so that the government can obtain sufficient income from the auction without, jeopardising India's 5G development plans. 

✅Bridging the Rural-Urban Gap: 5G may be used in a variety of band spectrums, with the low band spectrum having a significantly greater range, which is beneficial to rural regions.