Context: India is preparing to auction off about 72 Ghz of airwaves to rollout 5G services in the country.

• However, the infrastructure needed for such a rollout requires existing radio towers to be connected via optical-fibre cables, which could prove to be a huge challenge for India.

About Fiberisation

• The process of connecting radio towers with each other via optical fibre cables is called fiberisation.

• It helps provide full utilisation of network capacity and can carry large amounts of data.

• It will also aid in providing additional bandwidth and stronger backhaul support.

• The backhaul is a component of the larger transport that is responsible for carrying data across the network.

• It represents the part of the network that connects the core of the network to the edge.

• Fibre-based media, commonly called optical media, provides almost infinite bandwidth and coverage, low latency and high insulation from interference.

Fiberisation in India

• To transition into 5G, India needs at least 16 times more fibre.

• In India, currently only 33% of the towers are fiberised, compared to the 65%-70% in South Korea and 80%-90% in the U.S., Japan and China.

• The fibre kilometer (fkm) per capita in India is lower than other key markets.

• India’s fkm is just 0.09 compared to 1.35 in Japan, 1.34 in the U.S. and 1.3 in China, the report noted.

• There is also a need to increase data capacity in the fiberised towers.

• These tower sites which are connected via fibre are called fibre point of presence (POP).

• Currently these fibre POPs at a tower site can handle data at one to five Gbps speed.

Challenges

• To reach the targeted level of fiberisation, India requires about Rs 2.2 lakh crore of investment to help fiberise 70% towers.

• About Rs 2.5 lakh crore will be needed to set up 15 lakh towers in the next four years, according to estimates by the National Broadband Mission and Cellular Operator Association of India (COAI).

• Government programmes like BharatNet and Smart Cities will further add to the demand of fibre deployment, necessitating a complete tower fiberisation.

• One of the biggest issues in the way of fiberisation remains the Right of Way (RoW) rules.

• The Indian Telegraph RoW Rules 2016 aims to incorporate nominal one-time compensation and uniform procedure for establishment of Overground Telegraph Line (OTL) anywhere in the country.

• While all States/UTs are required to implement these rules, they are not in complete alignment and still require certain amendments to align.

• Several districts and local bodies have not agreed to the RoW policies as they are following their own by law.

• Other central Ministries like the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highway Authority of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests etc. have not yet adopted these Rules, citing their own departmental rules.

• However, Department of Telecommunication’s GatiShakti Sanchar online portal can simplify RoW approvals.

• It enables centralisation of RoW approvals for telecom infrastructure projects and help operators to deploy infrastructure for 5G rollout in a timely manner.

Efforts of government

• Prime Minister has called for collaborative efforts between government and industry for rapid rollout of 5G services as it will contribute $450 billion to the Indian economy in the next decade and a half.

• The PLI scheme related to 5G launched in budget 2022 is reportedly focussed on design-led manufacturing; and in an attempt to enable affordable internet services.

• The government is setting aside 5% of the annual Universal obligation services fund (USO) towards providing and promoting R&D as well as commercialisation of technology.

Can satellite communication help in 5G deployment and improve network backhaul?

• Satellite communication can provide high-capacity backhaul connectivity to large numbers of edge servers over wide areas, thereby complementing the terrestrial network with cost-effective scalability.

• Space-based backhaul will also provide disaster relief services, support emergency response teams as well as deliver broadband connectivity for one-off entertainment or sports events anywhere in the world.

• The low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites will be well-suited to offer not only backhaul, but also direct connectivity.