Theme :-

 At present the whole world is using 4G cellular communication

technology, and a good number of users are still using 2G & 3G services.
 Now, the world is looking towards implementing 5th generation cellular
communication technology, which will have approximately 10 to 20
times faster internet speeds than the present 4G technology. And it will
also have low latency, which means if a sender sends message, receiver
will receive it in less than a millisecond. At present with 4G, it takes 30-70
milliseconds for the transmission from sender to receiver. 5G has lot of
benefits… for example with such faster internet speeds and low latency,
doctors can remotely perform surgeries, and also helps in developing
advanced applications in various sectors. 
 US, China, Japan & South Korea are already testing 5G services in their
countries and especially US & China are in a race to become the first
country in fully implementing 5G services. 
 India is also planning to roll out 5G services by 2020.

Yes :-

 In 2017, Indian government has set up Rs. 500 crores fund for Research &

Development of 5G Technology and thereby to roll out 5G by 2020, and it
is also planning to auction 5G spectrum by January 2020.  so Indian
government is ready for this transition. 
 Internet users and hence the data consumption is increasing at a rapid
rate in India. So, telecom companies can safely invest in 5G technology &
can expect returns.
 Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani has already said
that Jio’s network is fully 5G ready & so, it is planning to roll out 5G
services in India by 2020 

No :-

 Not all telecom companies are ready for 5G yet . Vodafone, one of the
biggest telecom service provider in India is not in favor of auctioning 5G
spectrum in 2020. They are in the opinion that India does not need 5G
services yet. 
 Airtel is not happy with the current prices of 5G spectrum auction.
 The main reason behind all these things is that Indian telecom sector is in
a huge debt of approximately 8 lakh crore rupees as of 2019. So, telecom
companies do not afford to invest in the 5G technology.
 They Did not get returns on the investment they put on  4G, telecom
companies faced this situation with 3G too. They could not reap the
benefits of the investment they put on 3G.
 Till Sep 2016, many people were using 2G services because 3G services
were expensive at that time. But when Jio launched cheap 4G services in
September 2016, many users started buying 4G mobile to use 4G services.
Though the main reason is the cheap prices of 4G, another important
reason for this is… there is a lot of difference between 3G & 4G. With 4G,
video calls services and the internet browsing speeds have improved a lot.
So, people made the switch. But now many people may not invest in
buying 5G handsets, because the present internet speeds are already
enough for many people.  And definitely 5G services will be expensive
considering the investment telecom service provides are going to
invest. People may not be interested in spending more. So, there is a fear
in telecom service providers that whether they will get returns or not. 
 And as per the studies on 5G technology, it has security loopholes,
because it is still in the starting stages. So, it is better to wait till the
ecosystem is fully developed. 
 India’s 4G internet speed is very low when compared with other countries .
So, Launching 5G services will face the same issue. So, we cannot say that
India is ready without upgrading the infrastructure first. 
India is gearing up for the launch of 5G networks in the first half of 2022. The
telecom operators are already testing their 5G solutions in partnership with global
vendors, including Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung. Mr Nitin Bansal, Head of
Ericsson India and Head of Network Solutions Ericsson South East Asia, Oceania
& India, said consumers in India are ready to pay up to 50% more for 5G if they
get bundled service from the operators. Mr Bansal shared further insights with
TelecomTalk on whether India is ready for 5G or not and what kind of investments
are necessary for the successful rollout of 5G networks.
Q1. How Prepared Is India for 5G Connectivity?
Ericsson believes India is completely ready for 5G, and that is why an affordable
5G spectrum needs to be made available to the telecom operators. Looking at the
‘long-term benefits’ that 5G technology will bring to India, it needs to be looked at
as critical infrastructure and the foundation on which the Digital India vision can
be realised.
From a technology readiness perspective, we are completely ready to roll out 5G in
India, having deployed it across 93+ live networks across the globe. For the
unaware, the Ericsson Radio System hardware has been 5G-ready since 2015,
allowing telecom service providers (TSPs) to upgrade to 5G with a remote
software installation reducing their costs.
As India gets ready to embark on its 5G journey, Ericsson is committed to working
with its partners, customers, and the academic community to design as well as
curate India-specific use-cases to create the perfect ecosystem for 5G in India.
From a consumer standpoint also, there is a major interest for 5G in India, and
more importantly, the consumers are willing to pay a premium for the new
capabilities that 5G brings. Our recent consumer lab study ‘Five ways to a better
5G’ states that at least 40 million smartphone users in India could adopt the
5G technology in the first year of the launch and Indian users are willing to pay as
much as 50% more for 5G plans, provided they are bundled with new services.
The latest Ericsson Mobility Report reveals that 5G will represent around 26% of
mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2026, estimated at about 330 million
subscriptions which is a substantial figure.
Q2. Why Do Operators Need to Introduce 5G?
The pandemic has accentuated the importance of faster and reliable connectivity
for life and work to continue uninterrupted thus, leading to the discussion around
the 5G rollout gaining momentum. India is one telecommunications market that is
currently the world’s second-largest and has continued to register strong growth
over the years. The market is witnessing strong data growth, and 5G is needed to
cater to this demand.
5G is a platform for innovation, and because of its socio-economic multiplier
effect, it will serve as the critical infrastructure that will open new possibilities for
consumers and industries alike thus, leading to new revenue streams for operators.
While 5G services at present primarily address consumer use cases like enhanced
mobile broadband, 5G network capabilities are expected to go far beyond previous
generations of mobile communications with lower latency, high reliability, higher
capacity, and security.
With 26% of mobile subscriptions in India expected to be 5G at the end of 2026,
estimated at about 330 million subscriptions (EMR June 2021), India has huge
potential for 5G technology. In the initial stage of introduction, 5G will help
communication service providers (CSPs) manage the growing data needs of
consumers more efficiently.
More than 70% of consumers expect 5G to provide a better performance, such as
faster speed, better reliability and lower latency, according to the Ericsson
Consumer Lab study (2021). That will enable consumer offerings around gaming,
video and AR and VR.
As per an Ericsson ConsumerLab study called ‘5G for Business: a 2030 market
compass study’, it is estimated that the addressable industry digitalisation market
for service providers could grow to about USD 700 billion by the end of 2030. The
projected value of the 5G-enabled digitalisation revenues in India being
approximately USD 17 billion by 2030.
Q3. What Are Some 5G Use-Cases We Will See for the Indian Consumer?
Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) are
anticipated to be the early use-cases for 5G in India. These proposals will
contribute to addressing the concern of the limited fixed broadband penetration
levels in India and enhance the data experience while on the move.
India is the region with an average monthly usage per smartphone of around 15GB
(as of 2020). This is expected to grow to 40GB per Smartphone per month by
2026. 5G, in the initial stage, when it is introduced, will help CSPs manage the
rising data needs of consumers more efficiently.
According to an Ericsson economic study of enhanced mobile broadband,
evolution to 5G networks will enable 10 times lower cost per gigabyte than current
4G.
Q4. Do You Think Investments in 5G Are Critical for the Indian Economy?
5G will facilitate innovative services for consumers, enterprises, and industry,
including large-scale IoT, use cases thus, presenting more revenue opportunities
for the Indian service providers. With characteristics such as high speeds, low
latency, and reliability, 5G will particularly benefit healthcare, manufacturing,
automotive, energy/utilities sectors in India. Hence, investment in 5G is critical to
unlock the next level of growth for the country.
Q5. How Is Ericsson Supporting Indian Operators in 5G Deployments?
Along with our partners here in India, Ericsson has been working on 5G for several
years in the labs and in advanced outdoor field trials. Working with Indian telecom
operators as well as the academia community, we have been testing and developing
various 5G use cases relevant for India.
In 2019, we collaborated with Qualcomm successfully at the India Mobile
Congress (IMC) to show India’s first-ever live 5G video call using spectrum in the
28 GHz band. Ericsson also demonstrated the reliability, speed, and low latency of
5G through India’s first-ever 5G-powered Connected Music performance during
the opening ceremony of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019.
We continue to work closely and engage with all Indian operators on their network
evolution plans. Just last year, one of our long term partners, Bharti Airtel,
extended its partnership with Ericsson for the deployment of 5G-ready radio, 5G
Core and transport solutions.
In January 2021, Ericsson and Bharti Airtel partnered to demonstrate 5G on a live
network in Hyderabad. By leveraging Ericsson’s dynamic spectrum sharing
technology, the operator gave India its first taste of 5G over a commercial network.
In June this year, we partnered with Bharti Airtel once again to demonstrate
enhanced speeds of over 1 GBPS at a live 5G network at the Cyber Hub, Gurgaon,
using Bharti’s 3500 MHz trial spectrum.
Furthermore, Ericsson’s Radio System hardware has been 5G-ready since 2015.
This allows operators to upgrade to 5G with a remote software installation.
Q6. What Are Ericsson’s Plans in the 5G Space? What Are Some Recent Milestones
Ericsson Has Achieved?
Our 5G plans and strategy are based on increased investments in R&D for
technology development, and cost leadership has continued to bear fruit, as it is
evident from our results in the second quarter of 2021. With a strong 5G product
portfolio and cost structure, Ericsson is well-positioned to take advantage of the
continued market momentum. In fact, at a global level, there is already a great
momentum in demand for 5G, with lead markets moving forward swiftly, creating
many opportunities for our core business to grow.
As per the Ericsson Mobility Report released recently, there will be around 580
million 5G subscriptions by the end of 2021 and by 2026, the number is forecasted
to reach 3.5 billion. To that end, we are continuing to invest in further
strengthening our portfolio and expanding our global footprint.
Ericsson is a market leader in live 5G networks; we were the first ones to deploy
commercial live networks across five continents. Customers from all across the
globe have chosen us as their 5G partner.
As of now, we have 143 commercial 5G agreements and 93 live 5G networks
globally. With our 5G portfolio in place, customers can deploy 5G networks in all
main frequency bands and utilize their valuable spectrum assets fast and in the
most efficient way. With proven performance results, we enable our customers to
stay ahead with 5G technology.
Ericsson has reinforced its global technology leadership with recognitions like:
1. Ericsson has been ranked the highest in the 5G network infrastructure market by
Frost & Sullivan’s latest Frost Radar™, by leveraging its current leadership in the
4G network infrastructure market
2. Ericsson has been named a Leader in Gartner’s 2021 Magic Quadrant for 5G
Network Infrastructure for Communications Service Providers (CSPs)
Some of the other milestones include:
1. In February 2021, In Ericsson’s lab in Kista, Stockholm, with a technical
specification comprising 8 component carriers (8CC) aggregating 800MHz of
millimetre wave spectrum, Ericsson engineers achieved delivery rates of 4.3Gbps –
the fastest 5G speed to date. The landmark was achieved during interoperability
testing using commercial solutions.
2. In March 2021, World Economic Forum (WEF) identified Ericsson’s USA 5G
Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas as a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
pioneer. The forum has awarded the site with its prestigious “Global Lighthouse”
designation.
3. In April 2021, Ericsson achieved another 5G technical milestone, further
accelerating 5G with single user multiple input multiple output (SU-MIMO) by
delivering a single user uplink data rate of 315 megabits per second (Mbps), 15-20
times faster than today’s typical uplink speed.