Govt. gives nod for 5G trials

Context: Recently, the Department of Telecommunications has allowed private telcompanies (telcos) to start trials for 5G technology as well as its applications in various sectors.

• The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd. and MTNL.

Key Points

• In the initial phase, the 5G trials will be for 6 months, including a 2 month period for procurement and setting up of the equipment.
• In these 6 months, telcos will be required to test their set up in urban areas, semi-urban areas as well as rural areas.
• The telcos will be provided with experimental spectrum in various bands, such as the mid-band of 3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz, the millimeter wave band of 24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz, and others.
• The low band spectrum has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange.
• It implies that while telcos can use and install it for commercial cellphone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialised needs of the industry.
• The mid-band spectrum offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
• It 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, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
• The internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (giga bits per second).

About 5G Trials

• 5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution mobile broadband networks.
• 5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high-frequency spectrum.

Why are the trials for 5G technology important for telcos?

• The telecom market in India is left with only three private telcos, with the rest having surrendered to the low returns on investments over the years.
• Apart from the private telecommunication companies, the two state-run companies, MTNL and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) have also survived but are making losses.
• It is pertinent for telcos to start offering the new 5G technology as soon as possible in order to increase their average revenue per user.

Features of 5G Technology

• Bands in 5G: 5G mainly work in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.
• Low band spectrum: It has shown great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange however the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
• Mid-band spectrum: It offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
• High-band spectrum: It has the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
• Upgraded LTE: 5G is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.

Internet Speed and Efficiency: 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 will provide up to three times greater spectrum efficiency and ultra low latency.
• Latency is the amount of time data takes to travel between its source and destination.