The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a consultation paper on “Digital Transformation through 5G Ecosystem”. The objective of this consultation paper is to identify the policy challenges and suggest the right policy framework for faster adoption and effective utilisation of new technologies for the holistic and sustainable development of the economy driven by 5G ecosystem.
According to TRAI, India is undergoing a rapid digital transformation that is reshaping its economy and society. Fast and reliable mobile communication technologies are helping the government in realising the objectives of Digital India programme. It is providing a boost to the economy and empowering the citizens through services like unified payment interface (UPI) and several other innovative government to business (G2B) and government to citizen (G2C) applications. With the advent of technologies such as 5G, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) and metaverse, India is poised to unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.
Further, TRAI says that the government has taken several initiatives for building 5G infrastructure and for promoting R&D. TRAI has also made several recommendations for faster deployment of 5G network and services in the country. Cross sectoral collaborative initiatives have also been taken for facilitating fast roll out of 5G. In addition to the deployment of 5G infrastructure, development and deployment of new use cases for consumers and enterprises is essential for widespread adoption and full realisation of potential of 5G technology. When 5G is used along with AI, extended reality and IoT, it will enable business and society to realise the full benefits of these technologies.
However, according to TRAI, achieving this will require effective ecosystem collaboration between telecom service providers (TSPs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), infrastructure providers and the government to increase consumer adoption and market readiness to unlock large-scale benefits of 5G. Adequate infrastructure upgradation and fiberisation for 5G deployment, along with network densification need to be addressed to realise the full benefit across industries. 5G adoption will depend on factors such as dedicated R&D investments to develop India-specific use cases, enterprise penetration, device affordability and consumer adoption.
With this background, TRAI has come out with this consultation paper on suo-motu basis to identify the policy challenges and suggest the right policy framework for faster adoption and effective utilisation of new technologies for the holistic and sustainable development of the economy driven by 5G ecosystem.
TRAI has invited written comments from stakeholders on the issues raised in the consultation paper by October 30, 2023, and counter-comments by November 13, 2023.
