Date: 02/09/2022

Relevance: GS-3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

Key Phrases: Wireless Cellular Technology, IP Multimedia Subsystem, Voice over LTE (Long Term Evolution, Global System for Mobile Communication, Global System for Mobile communication, Voice over New Radio

Context:

• Telecom operators are set to roll out 5G services in India in order to transform its digital infrastructure and achieve the goal of a five trillion dollar economy in the next few years.

Evolution of mobile networks over the various generations

• 1G: Voice calls:
  • 1G refers to the first generation of wireless cellular technology and they enabled communication between two supported devices using a wireless network.
  • Based on the analog system, 1G supported only voice calls, and those too of poor quality because of interference and it worked in a fixed area because of a lack of roaming support by the network.
  • The main difference between these two mobile cellular generations is that the audio transmissions of 1G networks were analog, while 2G networks were entirely digital.
• 2G: Telephony services:
  • The analog system was now replaced by a much more advanced digital technology for wireless transmission called the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM).
  • With digital underpinning, the 2G supported better quality voice calls and data services such as short message service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS).
  • Besides, this mobile network enabled roaming facility, allowing users to attend calls, and send and receive texts and multimedia content on the go.
  • It later received internet support by way of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evolution), but that alone wasn’t enough for a generational shift.
• 3G: Age of applications:
  • The third generation mobile network introduced high speed internet services, which set the stage for smartphones and application ecosystems.
  • While 3G enabled the concept of mobile television, online radio services, and emails on phones, it is video calling and mobile phone apps that really define the 3G era.
• 4G: Internet calling:
  • 3G set the base for 4G, which is the current generation of the mobile network.
  • The concepts introduced by 3G such as high definition voice calls, video calls, and other internet services become a reality in 4G.on account of a higher data rate and advanced multimedia services that the mobile network supports.
  • It perfected the LTE (Long Term Evolution) system, which significantly improves data rate and allows simultaneous transmission of voice and data.
  • Internet calling, or VoLTE (Voice over LTE), is one of the many advantages of the 4G mobile network.
  • It also enables voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) that allows voice calls in areas with low or no network reception.

5G : IoT and enterprises:

• From 1G to 4G, each successive generation of communication technology has brought significant changes in the network.
• 5G, however, is expected to be a little different, in the sense that it will not just be another network geared toward smartphone users but also enterprises.
• This is because the next generation of networks would not just bring improvement in data speeds but also latency and throughput.
• The low latency and high throughput make the network ideal for enterprise use, especially with regard to automation and connected ecosystem.
• The 5G network will operate in the millimeter-wave spectrum (30-300 GHz) which can send large amounts of data at very high speeds as the frequency is very high, and it experiences little interference from surrounding signals.
• For consumers, the network would deliver high internet speeds and would likely play a crucial role in enabling technologies such as the metaverse.
• It used OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) and millimeter wireless that enables a data rate of 20Mbps and a frequency band of 2-8 GHz.
• It can be used for streaming high-quality videos, more accurate location tracking, low-latency communication, and better ability for real-time analytics.

Challenges associated with the adoption of 5G in India:

1. Last mile connectivity: India lacks optical fiber infrastructure and greenfield deployment. Thus, providing last-mile connectivity to tier 2 and 3 cities and rural India becomes the greatest challenge.
2. Affordable 5G devices: The biggest roadblock in India’s 5G electronics manufacturing industry is that it lacks world-class semiconductor fabricating units(FAB) which is the notable denominator for device affordability.
3. High Spectrum Pricing: India’s 5G spectrum pricing is many times costlier than the global average. This will be of disadvantage to India’s debt-ridden telecom companies
4. Security and Privacy: 5G needs to ensure the protection of personal data. 5G will have to define the uncertainties related to security threats including trust, privacy, and cybersecurity, which are growing across the globe.
5. Fiber Connectivity: India lacks a strong backhaul for the transition to 5G. Backhaul is a network that links cell sites to the central exchange. However, 80% of cell sites in India are connected through microwave backhaul (high latency+limited capacity) and only 20% of sites are connected through fiber communication (low latency+unlimited capacity).
6. Lack of regulatory bodies in India’s telecom Sector: 5G implementation in India will not become a reality until there is a proper regulatory body that will develop the roadmap for 5G in India
7. Replacement of older devices: 5G technology would require newer handsets with the latest hardware, which would mean the replacement of older phones with new and costlier phones, which is undesirable for low-income people.

6G : Connected ecosystem:

• 6G is touted to drive the adoption of 5G use cases at scale through optimisations and cost reduction, especially at the enterprise level.
• For example, the metaverse is one of the 5G use cases, which promises to disrupt both traditional and digital spaces.
• With 6G, the metaverse would not just evolve into a final model but is also likely to unify with the physical world with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
• India is looking at 2023end or early 2024 to launch 6G services using indigenous developed infrastructure.

Source: Business-Standard

Mains Question:

Q. How is 5G different from the 4G technology? What are the various challenges associated with the deployment of 5G in India? (250 words).