when i attended economic times (E.T.) At the 2023 Telecom 5G Conference, the GSMA Intelligence Team started talking about the second wave of 5G.
Globally, 5G connections had just surpassed 1 billion connections. Meanwhile, 5G was still in its infancy in India, the world’s most populous country. After launching the first service in October 2022, he ended the first quarter of 2023 with just under 30 million 5G connections.
A year later, the success of 5G in India is well-documented. It was my goal to revisit this event to learn more about progress and how key stakeholders are planning what’s next.
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Held earlier this month, E.T. The Telecom 5G | 6G Congress brought together stakeholders from across India’s mobile ecosystem, including sponsor Ericsson. Speakers at Siena; Ribbon Communications; MediaTek and EY, Airtel. Reliance Jio; Vodafone Idea; Samsung, Oppo; TRAI and other companies provide insight into the current state of the market and the developments that will move it forward.
While 6G has been added to the 2024 event title, 5G’s impressive momentum over the past year has led many speakers to focus on 5G achievements in the market. And in fact, many of the early presentations did just that, offering his 5G snapshot circa early 2024. As of January, there were 420,000 5G base stations. After the launch of commercial services, more than 8% of his annual traffic will be on his 5G. Currently, 20% of 5G traffic is generated from FWA, highlighting the potential demand for fixed broadband.
But beyond just a market update, there was a clear sense of pride in what had been achieved. From the speed at which networks are being rolled out to the quality of service provided, discussions around 5G ooze national pride, echoing the message at MWC Barcelona 2024, where Jio announced that all U.S. communications He said it carries more traffic than all operators combined and claims a leading position in the world. Standalone 5G deployment.
short term plan
As 5G matures rapidly in India, it is natural for the ecosystem to explore new ways in which the technology can be leveraged and monetized. Many speakers did just that, and two topics received a lot of attention.
- Artificial intelligence (AI). Aside from the fact that AI currently dominates the technology conversation, its role in optimizing 5G network operations and service delivery could be huge. Add to this the fact that the Indian software industry recognizes its role in the development of AI and its focus is logical.
- device. 5G devices are widely available, but new types may be needed to take the market in new directions. Industrial devices that support new vertical use cases, low-cost Redcap devices that support IoT scale, and a variety of FWA form factors to meet different demands. Certainly, these same demands apply in many markets. However, as we look to the development of the manufacturing (and chipset) industry, the importance of device development is increasing.
Despite the opportunity to expand 5G in India, business realities and pragmatism required us to also discuss the challenges that need to be resolved. Some of the things mentioned are common to his 5G carriers around the world, such as in-building coverage requirements, difficulty building momentum in enterprise verticals, and the capital intensity of building 5G networks. Other aspects are also particularly important in India, such as rural coverage in a market where two-thirds of the population lives outside urban areas.
long term plan
In our MWC 2024 recap, we noted that 6G was somewhat absent from the mainstream conversation dominating the show, but given the industry’s short-term priorities, this was for the best.and E.T. Telecom Events Evolving to 5G from 5G Congress in 2023 | 6G in 2024 At Congress, it was clear that 6G would be on the event agenda, for better or for worse.
Indeed, 6G is a top priority for the Indian government, which wants to play a bigger role in setting mobile network standards than 4G or 5G. And we heard a lot about how ecosystem players envision making 6G a reality in India, as every generational change in networks is an opportunity for market disruption. These include technology and standards development (in line with government intentions), exploration and development of 6G use cases, and coordination. An overview of the Indian software development industry with a focus on his 6G with emphasis on software and hardware.
However, these same players also highlighted why you should be careful about moving too fast on 6G. We are here to help businesses recognize that their 5G investments have not yet been fully monetized, that 6G will likely require significant new investment, and that the business case is still uncertain. and technology issues were focused on. Against this background, the rationale for his 5G evolution, including his 5G-Advanced, which focuses on monetizing existing investments and network infrastructure, seems clear. With 6G still a year away, Congress in 2025 will focus on the 5G advanced innovation and monetization story, building on the great 5G work done so far in India. I hope that you will be able to do so.
– Peter Jarich – Director of Intelligence, GSMA
The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its members or associate members.
