5G's bouquet of promises: A technology that can change our lives forever

With the myriad possibilities that super high speeds and ultra-low latency could bring, telcos in India are looking at killer applications to attract consumers initially

Consumers already know that 5G would mean an increase in their mobile internet speeds of anything from eight to 10 times, throwing up new opportunities which could fundamentally change our lives.

With the myriad possibilities that super high speeds and ultra-low latency (a computer network’s ability to process a very high volume of data with an extraordinarily low tolerance for delay) could bring, telcos in India are looking at killer applications to attract consumers initially.

Says a senior executive at Bharti Airtel, “We expect 5G tariffs to be at a premium, but that will also depend on the dynamics of competition. (For example, if Jio decides to drop tariffs like it did in 4G, everyone has to follow). What is clear is that while 5G revenues will come from mobile consumers, it will also come from enterprise, with the latter becoming larger with time.” 

In India, hype has to be separated from reality. Globally, vehicle makers are experimenting with driverless cars that use 5G, but it could take a decade or more for this to become a reality in India. But connected cars on similar platforms, virtual assistants and car monitoring systems could come about in the next few years. 

Research is also underway in using 5G technology for soil and crop monitoring through sensors and smart irrigation systems, which would automatically control water flow. Using the technology to power automated drones for crop protection, and for weather forecasting, is also being looked at. 

In health care, remote consultation with doctors (which is already being done on 4G), will most likely become more popular with 5G.  However, remote robotic surgery, which requires very low latency and an extremely stable network, is far from becoming a commercial reality. 

The introduction of many cutting-edge technologies would depend on 5G networks offering ultra-low latency. These include driverless cars, remote surgery and remote control of critical machines. 

In India, companies are divided on which 5G technology to start with. Bharti Airtel, for instance, is planning to launch its 5G service on the back of the existing 4G core, also known as non-standalone 5G. This has two advantages: It requires minimal investment (the money spent on 4G can be leveraged), and it can be rolled out fast.

Reliance Jio, on the other hand, wants its entire network, including the core, to be 5G. This requires substantial capital infusion, but it enables many use cases, such as autonomous cars, remote robotic surgery, massive data analysis and so on, which are not possible on non-standalone 5G networks. 

Currently, in countries such as South Korea and the United States, 5G is offered at tariff premiums of 25-30 per cent for higher speeds of 250-500 mbps.

But in India, reckons Ankit Aggarwal, whole-time director of Sterlite Technologies — which is working on 5G-based solutions — the market size for those who are willing to pay substantial premiums for 5G will be no more than 5-10 per cent of the subscriber base. These consumers will be limited to the metros, or around six to eight cities. “The subscriber market is currently very small,” says Aggarwal.

The other big use case of 5G globally is powering broadband in homes. In the US, for example, Verizon uses 5G for last-mile fibre connectivity to offer high-speed broadband at home.  

Placing fibre underground is an expensive and time-consuming process for providing broadband to homes. But replacing it with 5G wireless obviates the need for this.

But there is a debate on whether this is the most efficient way to provide broadband to homes. Experts say that millimeter bands that are used for powering 5G work well only when they have line of sight to the home they are connecting. And that is a big challenge, especially in densely populated cities.  

In India, telcos have chosen the fibre route over wireless broadband. A senior executive of Reliance Jio says that it’s a one-time investment that can be used for many years. And there is no need to buy spectrum, either. Bharti Airtel, too, has tied up with multiple-system operators to offer fibre-to-the-home in over 1,000 cities.  

Most telcos say that the larger potential for 5G in India would be in its use case in enterprises, for manufacturing is the buzzword for the government under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme (see box).

However, the jury is still out on which of these ideas would work in India.

How manufacturing can be transformed

5G can power the next generation of smart factories and private networks, boost productivity and efficiency, and provide data security — a key requirement in today’s world. Bharti Airtel is already experimenting with a well-known firm to set up a private network using 4G, which will be upgraded once 5G spectrum becomes available.

Globally, too, countries are using 5G to revolutionise manufacturing. Germany has awarded 88 5G spectrum licences in the 3.7-3.8 GHZ band for setting up test beds and running campus networks. Among those who picked up the licences are Audi, Mercedes and ThyssenKrupp, which will use them to run applications in manufacturing.

Deloitte, the professional services firm, envisions three key ways in which 5G can transform Indian manufacturing: First, enhanced efficiency through the use of robots that can collaborate with each other by sharing information through the cloud; second, automation through the internet of things could reduce equipment maintenance costs by 40 per cent and increase productivity by 10-25 per cent; and third, 5G-powered augmented reality could enable remote trouble shooting, improving response time, reducing production downtime and improving production efficiencies.