New Delhi: Manufacturing, healthcare and education are among the top sectors looking to adopt fifth-generation or 5G-driven use cases at scale in India, according to executives from Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and Ericsson. , industry experts.
“Ericsson has done extensive research in India. So the top segments we thought of were healthcare, manufacturing and education. But we are missing two things. One is public security, energy and mining,” said Ng Thiaw Seng, head of network solutions for Ericsson’s strategic network evolution market areas South East Asia, Oceania and India.
“5G has higher bandwidth and lower latency. Many use cases are being developed, including education and healthcare, especially in countries like India. How can we expand the reach of higher education? Healthcare as well,” said Mohan Raju, Vice President and Vertical Head, IoT, Jio Platforms Limited.
The telecom market leader is making significant strides in telemedicine in India and Bharat (rural India) by enabling its made-in-India devices and technology stack, especially remote diagnostic use cases. “We at Jio are enabling this kind of remote diagnosis using our devices. Doctors at Gangaram Hospital, Delhi can use these kits to facilitate diagnosis remotely. ” he said, adding that 5G-connected ambulances are also an area of focus.
The executives spoke during a panel discussion on “Monetizing: Leveraging 5G in the Enterprise” at the recently concluded ETTelecom 5G|6G Congress 2024.
“With the availability of 5G and the ability to backhaul from 4G to 5G, some of these services can start from the moment the patient gets into the ambulance. This requires a lot of technology stack. Yes, we are enabling this gear in this made-in-India stack… We are promoting this entire chain with our ambulance partners,” Raju said.
Ravjot Singh Arora, co-founder of Medulance Healthcare, said the medical emergency services provider has been able to deploy 10-15 5G connections across Chennai, Hyderabad and other cities. Almost two years ago, the company launched its first 5G ambulance in partnership with Jio, he said.
“We’ve been able to save a lot of light through that channel. We’re saving 20 minutes (of prime time) that could be a matter of life for a lot of people. Yes,” Arora said.
Divya Sethi, vice president and business head of enterprise at Vodafone Idea (Vi), echoed similar views, saying 5G could impact the healthcare sector in three different ways. The latest generation network helps extend patient care to rural areas. Ambulances connected to 5G can be deployed to provide life-saving treatment on the way to the hospital. Telecom companies can also work with hospitals to make their facilities 5G-enabled.
“We have seen these use cases happening overseas, and their adoption could be happening here in India right now. These are three ways in which we feel that there is sexuality,” Sethi said.
Arun Goyal, chief information officer (CIO) of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that with the introduction of 5G, the hospital will be able to provide telemedicine and telemedicine services to patients, which was not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he was able to do it now. “But technology has advanced and we can now offer telemedicine. People in remote areas are also embracing it. Second, with 5G, we can now provide things like radiology reports to patients. “Previously, we could not provide radiology reports to patients online,” he said.
“Manufacturing is all about people and how we can provide a safe environment and conditions for our employees is very important. We move heavy equipment, we have heavy structures. 5G networks are required to view the data in real-time and share information about the health of these equipment to take timely action. People working in the pit can wear wearable smart bands. If you get the right network, you can ensure that the network is secure,” says Maruti Suzuki India’s IoT Responsibility. said Vandita Agarwal.
“The technology provided by Ericsson and delivered to Jio and other operators can, in turn, enable the use cases that (the industry) needs, and then monetization could start to happen. ” said Sen.
5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is a key application in India that can bridge the digital divide in areas not covered by fixed broadband and bring high-speed communications to consumers, according to a Swedish telecom equipment maker. It means.
“When it comes to 5G use cases, we need remote labs and virtual labs. With 5G, universities can achieve better results than existing technologies. We can facilitate labs and virtual classrooms. Even in virtual classroom sites, we can control equipment remotely. Another thing is the campus network 5G that we can build,” said Subba Rao Bodhu, professor at Mahindra University. says.
EY senior partner Prashant Singhal, who moderated the panel discussion, said 5G-connected ambulances are an important use case, as is the use of 5G networks in education. Ta.
