Union Government will set up 100 labs to develop applications and drive up enterprise use cases using 5G services.
5G is the fifth-generation mobile telecommunications technology, and it has the potential to transform various industries with its high speed, low latency and high capacity features. Some key use cases for 5G include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (uRLLC), Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR), Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), among others.
These use cases highlight the versatility and potential of 5G technology, which is expected to drive innovation and growth across multiple sectors.
One hundred labs for developing applications using 5G services will be set up in engineering institutions to realise a new range of opportunities, business models, and employment potential. The labs will cover, among others, applications such as smart classrooms, precision farming, intelligent transport systems, and health care applications, said Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance, in her budget 2023-2024 speech.
Budget
An allocation of Rs 1.23 lakh crore for the Ministry of Communication has been envisaged in the Budget 2023. The government also made a provision of Rs 5.56 crore for a 5G testbed. The Centre of Development of Telematics (C-DoT), the R&D arm of the Department of telecommunications (DoT), will get Rs 550 crore for fiscal 2023-24, according to the Budget 2023-2024 documents.
Artificial Intelligence
For realizing the vision of “Make AI in India and Make AI work for India”, three centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence will be set-up in top educational institutions. Leading industry players will partner in conducting interdisciplinary research, develop cutting-edge applications and scalable problem solutions in the areas of agriculture, health, and sustainable cities. This will galvanize an effective AI ecosystem and nurture quality human resources in the field.
National Data Governance Policy
A National Data Governance Policy will be brought out to unleash innovation and research by start-ups and academia. This will enable access to anonymised data, said Nirmala Sitharaman.
5G in India
Nokia and Ericsson earlier in January said India is ahead of the world in 5G rollout and is growing ‘extremely fast’. However, as of today, only Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have rolled out 5G Networks; while there is no plan of action from Vodafone Idea regarding their 5G strategy, BSNL is about to start the 4G/5G Network trials on the live Network soon to go for wider deployment.
Airtel 5G Plus
The Airtel version of 5G is branded as Airtel 5G Plus and is based on a Non-Standalone (NSA) version of 5G standards. Airtel promises 20-30 times faster speeds than the current 4G Networks, and its Network is kinder to the environment. Airtel has its unique technological advantage for 5G while reutilising existing 4G infrastructure. This capability is because of its massive spectrum holdings in the mid-band. As of now, Airtel 5G Plus is available in 67 cities. Airtel 5G Plus is open to everyone, and users can use 5G services using existing plans. Airtel 5G works on all 5G supported Android handsets and Apple devices.
Jio True 5G
The Reliance Jio version of 5G is branded as True 5G and is based on the Standalone (SA) version of 5G standards. Jio promises 1 Gbps kind of speeds, and its 5G operates differently from its 4G layer. Jio 5G is deployed on Sub GHz and High band spectrum. Jio’s 5G is an invite-based beta launch and is available in 224 cities as of date. Jio’s True 5G need supported handsets of 5G SA.
Vodafone Idea
Vodafone Idea has not announced its 5G plans or strategy except that they are working with handset vendors. But, on the other hand, the telco is losing wireless subscribers month by month.
BSNL 4G/5G
As already discussed, BSNL is working with TCS to test indigenous 4G/5G Solution on live Network, post which the telco will go for a wider deployment of high-speed services.