The government of India is expected to hold a fifth-generation technology spectrum (5G) auction in early June, with the country’s 5G service rollout beginning in August-September.
Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the Department of Telecom is working according to the expected timeline and that the process of resolving industry concerns about spectrum pricing is underway.
How 5G will Impact Our Lives
Higher internet speed: Buffering on the mobile phones will become a thing of the past as internet speed on mobile phones will become 100 times more on the 5G network as compared to 4G. High definition films will be downloaded instantly. This will be a big boon for OTT platforms as well.
Online shopping experience: 5G offers high-performance, ultra-low latency networks which will help retailers to use immersive technologies such as Augmented reality to integrate the physical and digital worlds. This means shoppers may even try products virtually without the need to go to the store physically.
Medical services: Doctors will be able to provide medical assistance to the injured or sick in any remote area of the country through high speed internet and virtual reality controllers.
Autonomous cars and drones: Autonomous cars are not something new. Countries around the world are experimenting driverless cars.
In fact, India’s first-ever driverless train operations on the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line was inaugurated on December 28 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 5G will give life to better and safer autonomous cars, drones that will connect to other things, or IoT.
While smartphones are required for 4G and 5G networks, an estimated 28 crore Indians still use basic or feature phones. Even the most basic smartphone is prohibitively expensive for them. Although an affordable 5G for the masses may take longer in India, the country must take the first step toward it this year in order to keep up with the rest of the world on 5G.