India celebrates 25 years of mobility this year, and the situation to commemorate the transition into 5G is quite apt. With the COVID pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home, today's workplace ethics is all about communication and collaboration using technology. Autonomous vehicles, interactive stadiums, connected cities, and the integration of billions of IoT devices are further milestones that the future holds.

Keysight Technologies has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with IIT Madras to collaborate in developing testing methods for Radio Interface Technology (RIT). The primary goal behind this initiative is to connect the entire nation with 5G technology, including and especially the remote villages, where other forms of connectivity are challenging to set up.

India as a 5G Leader

The Indian Government has sanctioned an amount of INR 224 crores for this collaborative project, expected to be ready by April 2021.

‘’Our focus should not just be on technology, but on socially useful applications of such technology’’, says Anshu Prakash, Secretary, Department of Telecommunication (DoT). He also emphasised the need for applying 5G technology in the areas of health, education, disaster management, and public safety and that with 5G technology, we should be able to propel ourselves further in becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

5G for Rural India

India has a vast rural population who, thus far, have had very low mobility compared to the likes of 3G or 4G technology. These low-mobility areas have remained so because setting up cell towers and ensuring connectivity was a Herculean task.

‘’Joint partnerships with operators, the NEMS, the device makers, and the academic visionaries are needed to truly move the ecosystem forward to stay synchronised’’, claims Satish Dhanasekaran, Senior Vice President, Keysight Technologies. He says that the early capabilities that Keysight has developed along with institutes like IIT Madras are crucial steps in connecting the rural and urban segments of India.

India-Specific Aspects of 5G

K Ramchand, a member of the DoT, spoke about the importance of developing an indigenous 5G solution, ‘’India is very eager to have indigenous technology in the telecom sector because communication is the common thread across all other industries. The person or unit that controls the communication sector controls other sectors, and hence, the Atmanirbhar motive is essential in maintaining the security of the country’’.

Apart from enabling connectivity among rural Indians, 5G has several other applications specific to the Indian subcontinent. Pamela Kumar, Director General of TSDSI, explains why 5G solutions need to be unique to India because our needs and use-cases do not match that of California or Shanghai. These priorities will shape everything about the 5G technology we develop, from the bandwidth to other advanced features.

In Closing

The advent of 5G technology in India will affect every aspect of our life: the way we live, work, experience entertainment, and stay connected. We must brace ourselves to be a part of this digital revolution.

This is a partnered post.