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5G is the next-generation wireless cellular technology that will provide faster and more reliable communication with ultra-low latency. A government panel report points out that with 5G, the peak network data speeds are expected to be in the range of 2-20 Gigabit per second (Gbps). This can help in good governance and can lead to higher economic growth in India.

Being a game-changer technology in many aspects, be it an economy or a science and technology or development, knowing about it is very important from an exam point of view. So let us look at the topic in detail.

What is 5G technology?

5G or fifth generation is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
It’s a unified platform which is much more capable than previous mobile services with more capacity, lower latency, faster data delivery rate and better utilisation of spectrum.

The low, mid, and high-frequency spectrum

5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum — all of which have their own uses as well as limitations.
The low band spectrum has a great promise in terms of coverage and speed of internet and data exchange but the maximum speed is limited to 100 Mbps (Megabits per second).
So Telcos can use and install it for commercial cell phone users who may not have specific demands for very high speed internet, the low band spectrum may not be optimal for specialized 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.
This band may be used by industries and specialized 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.
Internet speeds in the high-band spectrum of 5G has been tested to be as high as 20 Gbps (giga bits per second), while, in most cases, the maximum internet data speed in 4G has been recorded at 1 Gbps.

Timeline: Evolution from 1G to 5G

1G: Launched in the 1980s. Analog radio signals and supported only voice calls.
2G: Launched in the 1990s. Uses digital radio signals and supported both voice and data transmission with a Bandwidth (BW) of 64 Kbps.
3G: Launched in the 2000s. With a speed of 1 Mbps to 2 Mbps it has the ability to transmit telephone signal including digitized voice, video calls and conferencing.
4G: With a peak speed of 100 Mbps-1 Gbps it also enables 3D virtual reality.
5G: with a speed of more than 1Gbps, it is capable of connecting entire world without limits.

How is 5G different from 4G?

5G	4G
5G uses utilize much higher radio frequencies of 28 GHz.	4G uses lower reading frequencies of 700 MHz to 2500 MHz.
5G transfers more data over the air at faster speeds.	4G speed is lesser with less data transfer.
5G has lower latency i.e the delay before a transfer of data begins following an instruction. Latency for 5G is predicted to be below 10 milliseconds and in best cases around 1 millisecond.	4G has higher latency as compared to 5G. The latency for 4G is around 20-30 milliseconds.
5G uses a millimeter-wave spectrum which enables more devices to be used within the same geographic area supporting around one million per square kilometer.	4G supports a lesser number of devices of about 4,000 devices per square kilometer.
5G uses a new digital technology that improves coverage, speed, and capacity.	4G has led to more congestion and lesser coverage as compared to 5G.

Salient features

Capability: 5G will provide much faster mobile broadband service as compared to the previous versions and will provide support to previous services like mission critical communication and the massive Internet Of Things (IoT).
Upgraded LTE: 5G is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband networks.
Speed: With peak delivering rate of up to 20 Gbps and an average of 100Mbps, it will be much faster as compared to its predecessors. The speed increment is partly achieved partly by using higher-frequency radio waves than previous networks.
Capacity: There will be up to 100 x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency.
Spectrum usage: Will provide better usage for every bit of spectrum, from low bands below 1 GHz to high bands.
Latency: It’s expected to have lower latency with better instantaneous, real-time access of the data. The 5G, like 4G LTE, also uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) but the new 5G NR (New Radio) air interface will enhance OFDM and provide better flexibility in data delivery.
Millimeter wave spectrum: The 5G networks will operate in the millimeter wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which has 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.

Applications of 5G technology

High-Speed mobile network: 5G will revolutionize the mobile experience with supercharged wireless network. Compared to conventional mobile transmission technologies, voice and high-speed data can be simultaneously transferred efficiently in 5G.
Entertainment and multimedia: 5G can provide 120 frames per second, high resolution and higher dynamic range video streaming without interruption. Audiovisual experience will be rewritten after the implementation of the latest technologies powered by 5G wireless. Augmented Reality and virtual Reality services will be better experienced over 5G.
Internet of Things: IoT applications collects huge amount of data from millions of devices and sensors and thus requires an efficient network for data collection, processing, transmission, control and real-time analytics which 5G network is a better candidate.
Smart cities: Smart city application like traffic management, Instant weather update, local area broadcasting, energy management, smart power grid, smart lighting of street, water resource management, crowd management, emergency response etc can use a reliable 5G wireless network for its functioning.
Smart farming: 5G technology will be used for agriculture and smart farming in the future. Using smart RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track the location of livestock and manage them easily. Smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access control and energy management.
Mission critical applications: Like telemedicine services, remote control of critical infrastructure and vehicles. It has the potential to transform industries with highly reliable, low latency link.
Better Governance: Better speed and connectivity would reduce red tapism. It will enhance speedy completion of projects and better implementation of policies. It will enable accountability in the system through a better monitoring system and will reduce corruption.
Employment generation: 5G wireless technology will open greater opportunity for new device manufactures and application developers. New VoIP devices and smart devices will be introduced in the market and thus more job opportunities as well. This will help in inclusive growth reaping demographic dividend.
Enhanced Security: 5G wireless technology is one the best solution for security surveillance due to higher bandwidth and unlicensed spectrum. It will enhance better coordination among various agencies. Smart appliances which can be configured and accessed from remote locations, closed circuit cameras will provide high quality real-time video for security purposes.
Logistics and shipping: Logistic and shipping industry can make use of smart 5G technology for goods tracking, fleet management, centralized database management, staff scheduling and real-time delivery tracking and reporting.
Industrial Growth: Future industries will depend on smart wireless technologies like 5G and LTE advanced for efficient automation of equipment, maintenance, safety, tracking, smart packing, shipping, logistics and energy management.
Agricultural applications: 5g technology can be used for agriculture and smart farming in future. Using smart RFID sensors and GPS technology, farmers can track location of livestock and manage them easily. Smart sensors can be used for irrigation control, access control and energy management.
Healthcare and mission critical applications: 5G technology will support medical practitioners to perform advanced medical procedures with reliable wireless network connected to another side of the globe. Doctors can connect with patients from anywhere anytime and advice them when necessary. Scientists are working on smart medical devices which can perform remote surgery. Smart medical devices like wearable will continuously monitor patient’s condition and activate alert during emergency.

What are India’s Plans for 5G technology?

India is working on technologies that would enable to launch its Indigenous 5G.
This will help running its IOT platforms on indigenous technology for civilian as well as military applications.
PM is pushing for Aatamnirbharta (self-reliance), with the success of Digital India being a priority.
India banned Chinese apps & blocked its hardware supply chains to protect India’s business and security interests.
Scientists and Industries should work together to bring 5G technology quicker rather than getting entangled in policy processes & bureaucratic rift.
The implementation of 5G technology can make India a good alternative to China.
All the private telecom players in India have been urging the DoT to lay out a clear road map of spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands, so that they would be able to plan the roll out of their services accordingly.

What are the hurdles?

Enabling critical infrastructures: 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.
Financial liability on consumers: For transition from 4G to 5G technology, one has to upgrade to the latest cellular technology, thereby creating financial liability on consumers.
Capital Inadequacy: 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.

National Digital Communications Policy 2018

The new National Digital Communications Policy – 2018 has been formulated, in place of the existing National Telecom Policy-2012, to cater to the modern needs of the digital communications sector of India.
It will enable India to enter the era of modern technological advancements in the Telecom Sector such as 5G, loT, M2M etc.
It will introduce a ‘customer focused’ and ‘application driven’ policy for the Indian Telecom Sector, which can form the main pillar of Digital India by addressing emerging opportunities for expanding not only the availability of telecom services but also telecom based services.

Objectives

Broadband for all;
Creating four million additional jobs in the Digital Communications sector;
Enhancing the contribution of the Digital Communications sector to 8% of India’s GDP from ~ 6% in 2017;
Propelling India to the Top 50 Nations in the ICT Development Index of ITU from 134 in 2017;
Enhancing India’s contribution to Global Value Chains; and
Ensuring Digital Sovereignty.

In pursuit of accomplishing these objectives by year 2022, it envisages three Missions:

Connect India: Creating Robust Digital Communications Infrastructure To promote Broadband for All as a tool for socio-economic development, while ensuring service quality and environmental sustainability.
Propel India: Enabling Next Generation Technologies and Services through Investments, Innovation and IPR generation To harness the power of emerging digital technologies, including 5G, AI, IoT, Cloud and Big Data to enable provision of future ready products and services; and to catalyse the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) by promoting Investments, Innovation and IPR.
Secure India: Ensuring Sovereignty, Safety and Security of Digital Communications To secure the interests of citizens and safeguard the digital sovereignty of India with a focus on ensuring individual autonomy and choice, data ownership, privacy and security; while recognizing data as a crucial economic resource.

High-Level 5G India 2020 forum

The government has constituted the High-Level 5G India 2020 Forum with three Secretaries of key Ministries/Departments Telecom, Meity, and DST, and also comprising renowned experts. The primary aims of the forum are:

early deployment of 5G in India.
A globally competitive product development and manufacturing ecosystem targeting 50% of India market and 10% of global market over next 5 to 7 years.

The 5G Club ‘D10’

The Britain is proposing a ‘D10’ club of democratic partners that groups the G7 nations with Australia and the Asian technology leaders South Korea and India.
It would include G7 countries – UK, US, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and Canada – plus Australia, South Korea and India.
It is aimed for channeling investments into existing telecommunication companies within the 10 member states.
The group aim to create alternative suppliers of 5G equipment and other technologies to avoid relying on China.

The China Factor

China is taking its 5G technological advancement into other countries to digitally encircle the world.

What are China’s plans for 5G technology in Nepal & outcomes of it?

China and Nepal recently agreed to increase the height of Mount Everest by three metres.
Infrastructure development by China in mountaineering sites will make Nepal’s borders vulnerable & keeps it under China’s control.
Nepal’s tourism industry might get attracted to Chinese cheap loans leading to a strategic debt trap.
Chinese 5G technological inroads in Nepal could affect Nepal’s business interests.
Nepal has to depend on Chinese 5G for Real-time information on weather, routes, map/terrain details, logistics and rescue programmes, etc.

What are the other Chinese Investments across the world?

Chinese companies have made huge investments across the world to spread a 5G network.
They aim to encircle the planet digitally through technology.
Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will aid this aim & China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a clear example of how easily a country can be encircled.
Pakistan is today a virtual vassal state of China.
During pandemic, many countries who do not have indigenous 5G military capabilities had to depend on China.
These countries later became hostage to Chinese technology.

Conclusion

India should not miss the opportunity and should proactively work to deploy 5G technology. We should focus on strengthening our cyber infrastructure.
Funds should be allocated and local technology and telecom firms should be incentivized to develop their internal capacities which would in turn help 5G technology succeed in the country.
5G start-ups that enable this design and manufacturing capabilities should be promoted. This will spur leaps in the coverage, capacity and density of wireless networks.
It will power a surge in IoT technology and usher in a new era of technological capabilities.
This 5G Technology would bring low latency communication systems which can be used in agriculture, manufacturing sector and retail verticals too.
5G however is still at a nascent stage in India and no commercial development has taken place so far. Experts say that the move to adopt 5G technology and AI would usher into totally different use cases.

What is 5G technology? Discuss the challenges and advantages of 5G technology for India. (250 words)
Post your answers in comments below.