E-Paper
Govt clears 5G auction. What is 5G?
Designed to enable next-generation user experience, 5G is widely expected to expand mobile ecosystems into new realms.
The government has cleared a proposal to auction 72 GHz of next-gen 5G spectrum by July-end in what will be a big boost to broadband services in a country with an estimated 750 million internet users. 5G internet services are believed to be about 10 times faster than the preceding 4G.
Underscoring the need for improved national digital connectivity, the government said, "The 4G ecosystem created in the country is now leading to 5G indigenous development". "The time is not far away when India is going to emerge as a leading country in field of 5G technology and the upcoming 6G technology," the government statement said.
But what is 5G? Here is a deep dive into what it is and how it will benefit internet users.
What is 5G?
A global wireless network, 5G leaves behind 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks and is meant to provide much higher data speeds. The network is expected to deliver ultra-low latency, be more reliable, have increased network capacity and availability, a report by US-based semiconductors and wireless tech major Qualcomm said.
Designed to enable next-generation user experience, 5G is widely expected to expand mobile ecosystems into new realms.
While no one company or person owns 5G, many companies in the mobile ecosystem are contributing to bringing the services to life, Qualcomm further said.
How is 5G better than 4G?
5G services are significantly faster than 4G, delivering up to 20 GBPS, or gigabytes per second, peak data transfer speeds and 100+ MBPS, or megabytes per second, on average.
5G is designed in such a way that it also supports new services such as mission-critical communications and the massive IoT (Internet of things).
How will it benefit users?
5G services have the potential to create new-age businesses, generate additional revenue for enterprises, and provide employment arising from the deployment of innovative use-cases and technologies, the government said.
Through broadband services, the government has been able to promote access to mobile banking, online education, telemedicine, e-Ration, etc. to Antyoday families.
And the upcoming 5G services will provide a boost to these sectors.
About the auction
The modalities for holding 5G spectrum auctions have been approved by the government, and 72097.85 MHz of radio waves will be put on the block by July-end, according to the official release.
The cabinet also decided to enable the development and setting up of 'Private Captive Networks' to spur a wave of innovation in new-age industry applications such as machine-to-machine communications, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) across automotive, healthcare, agriculture, energy, and other sectors.
A total of 72097.85 MHz of spectrum with a validity period of 20 years will be put to auction to be held by the end of July.
The auction will be held for spectrum in various Low (600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz), Mid (3300 MHz), and High (26 GHz) frequency bands.
