India has witnessed one of the swiftest roll-outs of 5G globally. Since commencing services in October 2022, Bharti Airtel Limited and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) claim their 5G services are now available across all districts and union territories of the country. By the end of December 2023, the country’s 5G subscriber base had expanded considerably to 155 million, with RJIL and Bharti Airtel reporting 90 million and 65 million exclusive 5G users respectively, as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Meanwhile, the other two operators, Vodafone Idea and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, are targeting the launch of their 5G services within the next six to seven months. 5G infrastructure has also expanded rapidly, with the country now having over 426,000 5G base transceiver stations.
As telecom operators exceed their initial targets for 5G network roll-outs, the government is actively supporting their efforts to monetise these networks by fostering the adoption of 5G applications across diverse sectors such as education, health and agriculture. To this end, the government has instituted 100 5G use case labs within institutions nationwide, aimed at fostering the development of tailored 5G solutions to address local needs. The Department of Telecommunications has introduced spectrum regulatory sandbox and wireless test zones, aimed at facilitating the testing of domestically produced wireless solutions, alongside the abolition of wireless operating licence requirement. Meanwhile, telecom operators have been demonstrating various 5G use cases and collaborating with equipment vendors to develop new 5G applications tailored for enterprises in all industry sectors.
Initial strides towards 6G
Amidst the ongoing expansion of 5G, the government is concurrently prioritising an early initiative to embrace and take the lead in the adoption of 6G technology. Expected to be launched in the early 2030s, 6G is poised to build on the groundwork laid by 5G and offer even more innovative applications. While 6G roll-out is still some years away, research has already commenced to develop its use cases. 6G is anticipated to advance the vision of a seamlessly merged reality, where the digital and physical worlds converge. Potential use cases include immersive telepresence experiences through the internet of senses, enriched communication and interaction with intelligent machines, ubiquitous mixed reality applications in public transport, precision healthcare, smart agriculture and autonomous supply chains.
India is strategically positioning itself as a frontrunner in 6G technology by securing over 200 patents, actively participating in international standard-setting bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union, and establishing dedicated innovation groups and task forces. The government has also released a “6G Vision Document”, outlining the country’s strategy for leading developments in 6G technology. Divided into three phases and supported by dedicated funding, the mission aims to promote collaboration among stakeholders, including government bodies, industry and academia. Emphasising both fundamental and applied research in 6G technologies, the mission seeks to generate intellectual property and foster knowledge and skill development. Furthermore, it envisions pilot-scale demonstrations and validations through field trials across diverse use cases, while actively contributing to national and international standards, with initial actions set to commence around 2025.
Industry stakeholders explore India-specific use cases for 5G and 6G
Indian telecom operators have been actively conducting trials for various 5G applications across sectors such as healthcare, industrial automation, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). For instance, RJIL is working towards launching solutions to empower healthcare providers with innovative features such as remote patient monitoring, telemedicine consultations and real-time data analytics. RJIL has also undertaken 5G trials across a range of applications including AR/VR, network slicing, connected healthcare facilities, drones enabled with 5G, cloud gaming, streaming 8K YouTube videos, virtual collaboration, immersive experiences, Jio Glass, robotics powered by 5G, energy management monitoring using IoT and smart home solutions.
Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has collaborated with Apollo Hospitals and Cisco to develop a 5G-connected ambulance, equipped with patient monitoring applications and telemetry devices that transmit real-time health data to the hospital. Additionally, Bharti Airtel has launched India’s first private 5G network at the BOSCH facility in Bengaluru and partnered with Mahindra & Mahindra to transform the latter’s Chakan manufacturing unit in Pune, Maharashtra into India’s pioneer 5G-enabled auto manufacturing facility. Furthermore, Airtel has recently introduced the Airtel Xstream Air Fiber, a wireless home Wi-Fi service in India powered by Airtel 5G Plus, initially available in Delhi and Mumbai.
Network equipment vendors are also actively seeking to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the launch of next-generation communications technologies, by introducing innovative products tailored for enterprises. For instance, Nokia and Indian optical fibre and digital solutions provider, STL have recently collaborated to develop enterprise 5G use cases and data centre solutions to enhance customer experience through features such as multi-service premise edge connectivity, intelligent premises and predictive operations. Nokia has also partnered with the Indian Institute of Science to conduct a joint research on 6G technologies and use cases with direct societal impact in India. The collaboration will focus on three key research areas – 6G radio technologies, 6G architecture and integrating machine learning into the 6G interface and seek to develop sustainable communication solutions and “network as sensor” technologies for transportation safety, healthcare enhancement and educational accessibility.
Monetising investments in next-generation technologies remains a daunting challenge
While the Indian telecom industry is making rapid progress in deploying 5G networks and laying the groundwork for 6G, monetising these next-generation technologies remains uncertain. Deploying such advanced communications networks requires substantial upfront investments in infrastructure, spectrum acquisition and technology upgrades. A recent report suggests that an investment of about Rs 1,400 billion will be needed for the implementation of essential components of 5G technology by 2027. This includes fibre and microwave infrastructure, outdoor small cells and indoor solutions. However, the industry, already burdened with a debt of Rs 6 trillion, faces a daunting challenge in securing such a substantial investment, especially considering the significant increase in regulatory and licensing fees following the sale of 5G spectrum. Moreover, telecom operators have struggled to implement tariff hikes specifically tailored for 5G services. At present, both Bharti Airtel and RJIL offer unlimited 5G services without additional charges, leading to limited revenue generation opportunities.
Furthermore, regulatory limitations and complex business structures within the content ecosystem pose additional obstacles to monetisation efforts. Currently, different regulations govern various technologies disseminating identical content. For example, while direct-to-home (DTH) and cable distribution are subject to licence fees and intricate pricing regulations, over-the-top (OTT) players operate without licence fees, and their content pricing remains unregulated. Telecom operators argue that this exacerbates the challenges faced in monetising 5G services, as it creates an uneven competitive landscape and hampers their ability to generate revenue from content distribution.
Additionally, obstacles related to right of way are hindering the expansion of 5G infrastructure. The industry argues that although there has been progress on the RoW issue, the failure of local authorities to fully embrace the central RoW rules, coupled with involvement from various other stakeholders including private entities, creates numerous challenges in deploying towers and laying underground and overhead fibres.
Another challenge arises from the heavy reliance of 5G on cloud computing, internet of things and virtualisation, exposing it to potential security vulnerabilities and creating new avenues for attacks. Moreover, the vast array of devices, with varying security levels connected to a 5G network amplifies security concerns. Currently, there is a shortage of both tools and experts capable of effectively mitigating such threats.
Conclusion
Both 5G and 6G represent significant departures from legacy networks, prioritising low latency and enhanced wireless broadband capabilities over the human-centric applications typical of the previous generations. These new communications technologies pave the way for the development of a multitude of innovative use cases beyond traditional voice calls and data traffic. However, the current lack of 5G applications fully exploiting the network’s capabilities, such as high-speed connectivity and low latency, hampers the potential for monetisation. A substantial portion of subscribers still relying on 2G, 3G and 4G services harbour scepticism about transitioning to these newer generations, citing perceived minimal differences. As India progresses towards taking an early lead in the adoption of 6G technology, it becomes imperative to bolster industry efforts to develop monetisable use cases for next-generation technologies, thereby ensuring their sustainable adoption. This entails fostering collaborative innovation across sectors, leveraging cutting-edge research and development to identify practical applications of 5G and 6G, and cultivating an ecosystem conducive to the seamless integration and commercialisation of these advancements.
