India are you ready for 5G?

Around the world, the first live 5G networks have been installed. On four continents, Ericsson is powering 79 of these active networks. According to an Ericsson study, by the end of 2026, 5G would account for about 27% of all mobile subscriptions in India, with over 350 million users. We spoke with Nitin Bansal, Ericsson's Managing Director, India Head-Networks, Market Area South East Asia, Oceania, and India, about how 5G would affect Indian operators, organisations, and end users.

India's readiness for 5G is an open question.

5G is the fifth generation of cellular networks, an ultra-reliable, low-latency communications technology that will do more than just improve network connectivity; it will also deliver capabilities that will open up new prospects for people, businesses, and society. Imagine billions of connected gadgets gathering and exchanging information in real time to reduce road accidents, or production lines that are so predictive that they can avert disruptions well before they occur.

We believe that India is ready for 5G, and that operators should have access to affordable 5G spectrum. Given the ‘long-term benefits' that 5G technology would bring to India, it should be considered as crucial infrastructure and the bedrock upon which the Digital India vision may be fulfilled.

Ericsson is ready to bring out 5G in India, having previously implemented the technology on 85+ live networks throughout the world. Since 2015, Ericsson's Radio System has been 5G-ready, allowing operators to upgrade to 5G through a remote software install.

We are committed to collaborating with our customers, partners, and academic community to design and curate India-specific use-cases and establish the ideal ecosystem for 5G in India as India prepares to begin on its 5G journey. 

Consumer interest in 5G is high in India, and even more critically, consumers are willing to pay a premium for the all-new capabilities that 5G delivers.

How has COVID-19 affected customer behaviour, and how have mobile carriers responded with the crisis? Has COVID-19 slowed down the global shift to 5G?

Given the rise in data and phone traffic, the pandemic epidemic and lockdown limitations have highlighted the necessity of robust networks. Due to lockdowns and mobility restrictions, individuals all over the world, including India, are spending more time at home, resulting in unprecedented shifts in traffic patterns — traffic is migrating from downtown to residential and suburban regions as a growing number of people work from home.

Because of the increased demand on networks, network re-planning and end-to-end re-dimensioning efforts have been undertaken, with an emphasis on network architecture, capacity, performance, and traffic handling to guarantee that the network's customer experience is not harmed. Service providers have been able to act on network bottlenecks and eliminate problems and failures by utilising AI/ML techniques. Service providers are continuing to make the required changes in order to adapt quickly and effectively to the changing scenario, as well as investing in networks to increase capacity and meet demand.

According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, India's traffic growth is on the rise, and the country continues to have the world's highest monthly smartphone usage per user. The rapid deployment of 4G in India, combined with individuals working from home and their dependency on mobile networks to stay connected, has resulted in an increase in average monthly traffic per smartphone user from 13.5GB in 2019 to about 15 GB in 2020. 

We believe COVID has underscored the importance of connectivity, and 5G underpins the requirement for both consumers and businesses to have rapid and seamless experiences.

What are some of the 5G use-cases that will be available to Indian consumers? 

The early use-cases for 5G in India are expected to be enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA). These recommendations will help to address the problem of India's low fixed broadband penetration and improve the data experience while on the move. According to the Consumer Lab study on ‘expectations from 5G,' Indian consumers expect 4K streaming and AR app usage to rise when 5G becomes available, and they are willing to pay a premium for 5G services. We expect more enterprise-related use cases to emerge over time, exploiting the benefits of 5G in industries such as manufacturing and healthcare, education etc.

What are the advantages of 5G for operators?

The demand for 5G in India is primarily driven by two factors: 

- The first is the growing data demand; according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, By 2026, India is expected to have 350 million 5G connections, accounting for 27% of all mobile subscribers. As a result, operators must not only manage data traffic while providing a high-quality customer experience, but also do so in a cost-effective manner. In this case, 5G lowers mobile operators' cost per GB by a factor of ten.

- Second, by leveraging the potential presented by industrial digitization, 5G will enable operators to generate new revenue streams. According to Ericsson's '5G for Business' analysis, the market for industrial digitalization for service providers might reach USD 700 billion by 2030. This figure is expected to reach USD17 billion in India.

As a result, there is a compelling commercial justification for service providers to continue investing in cost-effective solutions to properly manage data traffic in order to provide a consistent network experience for end users, as well as new use cases that will emerge as the 5G platform matures.