Recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought inputs from telecom companies and other industry experts on the sale and use of radio frequency spectrum over the next 10 years, including the 5G Fifth Generation bands.
About 5G
- 5G, also known as fifth generation, is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
- The 5G networks will operate in the millimeter wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which have the advantage of sending large amounts of data at very high speeds. Because the frequency is so high, it experiences little interference from surrounding signals.
- In the high-band spectrum of 5G, internet speeds have been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (gigabits per second) as compared to the maximum internet data speed in 4G recorded at 1 Gbps.
- 5G network speeds should have a peak data rate of 20 Gb/s for the downlink and 10 Gb/s for the uplink.
- 5G mainly work in 3 bands- low, mid and high frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.
About the bands
- Low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange.
- The maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps.
- Telecoms can use and install it for commercial cellphone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed internet.
- It may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
- The mid-band spectrum offers higher speeds compared to the low band.
- It has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
- This band may be used by industries and specialised factory units for building captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.
- The high-band spectrum offers the highest speed of all the three bands.
- Has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
- Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps.
- The maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.
Issues with introduction of 5G Technology
- 5G will require a fundamental change to the core architecture of the communication system. The major flaw of data transfer using 5G is that it can’t carry data over longer distances. Hence, even 5G technology needs to be augmented to enable infrastructure.
- For transition from 4G to 5G technology, one has to upgrade to the latest cellular technology, thereby creating financial liability on consumers.
- Lack of flow of cash and adequate capital with the suitable telecom companies (like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea) is delaying the 5G spectrum allocation.
In 2018, India planned to start 5G services as soon as possible, with an aim to capitalise on the better network speeds and strength that the technology promised. Reliance Jio plans to launch an indigenously built 5G network for the country as early as the second half of this year. The company is said to have a complete end-to-end 5G solution prepared by the company itself that is ready for deployment once the networks are in place.
