N. Sivasailam, special secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT
India aspires to be amongst the frontrunners in 5G deployment globally. The government is making concerted efforts to establish a conducive ecosystem so that 5G services can be made available in India by the 2020 global timeline. Policies and regulations are needed to encourage investment in 5G technologies, as well as for the speedy deployment and uptake of 5G services. The government needs to ensure that the issues of telecom operators are resolved at the earliest so that India does not miss the 5G bus.
The High Level 5G India 2020 Forum constituted by the government targets to establish a manufacturing ecosystem and develop globally competitive products that would serve 50 per cent of the Indian market and 10 per cent of the global market in the next five to seven years. The draft of the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), 2018 also lays emphasis on creating a roadmap for 5G technology and its use in the communications sector. The government, in addition, plans to offer 5G spectrum in the 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz bands for sale in the next spectrum auction and has sought pricing recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for the same.
As India transforms into a digital society, 5G will pave the way for accelerating economic growth, ensuring societal development, expanding the potential of a networked society and commercialising the internet of things. 5G will, moreover, act as a driving force for the Digital India initiative. In a recent high-level leaders’ panel discussion on “Going Digital – People, Places and Things”, organised by the Cellular Operators Association of India, N. Sivasailam, special secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), talked at length about India’s 5G roadmap. Excerpts…
The year 2018 is an important year for the Indian telecom sector because of the upcoming launch of the NDCP. The policy is a collective guiding document that will help put in place necessary tools and guidelines for the speedy implementation of critical telecom projects.
The government is making concerted efforts to develop a 5G ecosystem in India and, for the first time, India will be at par with its global peers in launching 5G services. However, this objective cannot be met by merely laying out a policy roadmap. Relevant support from telecom service providers, technology providers and other stakeholders will be crucial for 5G’s success in India.
We would, thus, like to encourage industry stakeholders to assist the government in taking this forward once we release the initial roadmap. Industry’s contribution to the development of a 5G ecosystem will be crucial. We are aiming at establishing India as a reliable partner in technology development. We are also focusing on providing
opportunities for 5G service deployment on a large scale, which should be a great incentive for the industry. Meetings with various stakeholders for a 5G strategy are being held as frequently as every two weeks, and the content of the discussions and briefings is improving with every meeting. This has been possible with the support of people in the 5G Forum and a huge ecosystem of experts and industry partners.
Creating a manufacturing ecosystem
We want equipment vendors to manufacture in India – and not just for the Indian market but also for the global market. The idea is to become a part of the larger global manufacturing ecosystem and contribute to it. Further, if we as a nation are aiming at a large-scale adoption of 5G, we clearly cannot afford to import all the equipment and technology that will be needed. Relying solely on imports for 5G technology and equipment will also impact the country’s gross domestic product. A certain volume of manufacturing has to be done in the country, or else India’s plans to achieve mass adoption/coverage of 5G may be jeopardised. Local manufacturing is extremely important to make the economic leap necessary for a pervasive technology environment. Without a well-established technology ecosystem, we will end up missing the bus.
“We are aiming at establishing India as a reliable partner in technology development. We are also focusing on providing opportunities for 5G service deployment on a large scale.”
Other support measures
We are also working on two other initiatives to promote technology but have not made much headway in that direction. First, we would like to establish an exhibition centre for demonstrating new and emerging technologies, and their multiple applications in various areas. We are open to partnering and collaborating with industry stakeholders to establish such a centre. Second, we are looking at large-scale trials of several new technologies. To this end, we aim to build innovative models by deploying resources from the government as well as service providers and operators to demonstrate large-scale trials of technologies like 5G. This will pave the way for us and the industry to develop economic use cases of 5G and other technologies in areas such as agriculture and water management.
The way forward
India has historically been late in adopting telecom technologies, be it 2G, 3G or 4G. Globally, 5G is expected to be implemented in the next two to three years and India should not lose the opportunity to feature on the global 5G map.
In our first meeting with stakeholders, six to nine months ago, everybody thought that 5G is a completely different ecosystem from 4G. However, during our discussions in the past six months, technology developers have started to believe that a seamless transition from 4G to 5G is possible. This is an important insight. Also, it is necessary to have the private sector on board with us as a significant amount of investments come from private players. We are aiming for development at the national level and thus, the policy should be such that it is inclusive. We are conducting meaningful consultations with the industry and there is not a single recommendation or suggestion that has been scrapped so far. We have documented all relevant suggestions so that these can be accessed as and when needed. Just coming up with a policy document or setting up a 5G forum cannot bring in the envisaged change; constant intensive engagement will be the key to the successful implementation of policy and the success of 5G in the country.
“Local manufacturing is extremely important to make the economic leap necessary to have a pervasive technology environment. Without a well-established technology ecosystem, we will end up missing the 5G bus.”
