The Chronicles of 5G deployment in India : News and Updates

Gautam said:

Elon Musk's SpaceX urges India to allow satellite tech for rural internet; wants E&V bands: Report​


Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has urged the Indian government to give approvals for providing satellite-based internet services in remote areas of India and suggested that E- and V-bands be opened up for satellite providers, as per a report by Medianama.

By ET Telecom
November 17, 2020, 18:07 IST

NEW DELHI: Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has urged the Indian government to give approvals for providing satellite-based internet services in remote areas of India and suggested that E & V bands be opened up for satellite providers, as per a report by Medianama.

The development comes close on the heels of a new draft Spacecom policy floated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) that will enable private Indian firms to use existing space assets for providing communication services as well as for developing new systems, launch satellites, and sell services to foreign customers.

SpaceX said that there need to be tech-neutral broadband definitions, spectrum allotments for satellite systems, promoting of spectrum sharing, and a review of fees and related taxes that disincentivize broadband adoption in India.

It further said that the E & V bands should be kept open for satellite providers which is in-line with TRAI’s recommendations that the E & V bands, that are typically said to be useful for 5G networks but are only used in the short distance, should be utilized for broadband deployment in India.

The California-based company is also batting for a “band-splitting” model that encourages efficient use of spectrum and added that private telcos be allowed to share spectrum.

The Ka-band frequency which is used for connecting ground stations to fixed satellite systems should be provided to satellite operators, said SpaceX further.

“While India has long encouraged satellite operators to deploy gateway earth station facilities within the country, this policy is thwarted by the absence of Ka-band frequency assignments that are required to communicate with those gateway earth stations. SpaceX encourages TRAI and spectrum agencies in India to develop an approval process for these assignments. This effort is fundamental to expanding high-speed broadband service in India,” the publication quoted SpaceX as saying.

SpaceX has also urged for blanket licensing to streamline site-per-site licensing requirements and to accelerate the deployment of two-way satellite broadband terminals for supporting satellite broadband services such as Starlink.

However, India’s telecom service providers have expressed concerns over the “backdoor entry” of satellite communications (Satcom) operators in the country, ETTelecom reported. They want the Department of Telecommunications to provide spectrum only through auctions and not through the administrative route.

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Elon Musk's SpaceX urges India to allow satellite tech for rural internet; wants E&V bands: Report - ET Telecom | Satcom

Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has urged the Indian government to give approvals for providing satellite-based internet services in remote areas of India and suggested that E- and V-bands be opened up for satellite providers, as per a report by Medianama.
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Indian telcos flag concerns over backdoor entry of Satcom operators: Report​


India’s telecom service providers have written to the Department of Space flagging their concerns over the “backdoor entry” of satellite communications (Satcom) operators in the country, as per a Business Standard report.

By ET Telecom
Updated: November 16, 2020, 15:50 IST
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NEW DELHI: India’s telecom service providers have written to the Department of Space flagging their concerns over the “backdoor entry” of satellite communications (Satcom) operators in the country, as per a Business Standard report.

This follows billionaire businessman Elon Musk’s announcement on microblogging platform Twitter that his Starlink internet services would launch in India once it receives regulatory approvals in 2021.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), while responding to the draft Spacecom Policy released last month, has opined that non-government private entities (NGPE) that have been permitted to establish their own space systems for providing communication services should be objected to the same licensing regulations as telecom service providers (TSPs) in order to ensure a “level playing field.”

COAI has further demanded that NGPEs obtain spectrum through auctions, like how telcos do and not just through authorization by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), as suggested in the draft policy.

The telcos have further warned the telecom department that a license should be made necessary as the “international satellite lobby” may establish NGPEs in order to come up with a number of paper satellite filings to claim protection from the terrestrial use of mmWave bands earmarked for IMT services.

The COAI letter further states that this “abnormal protection” may drive up costs for the deployment of next-generation network technology, consequently depriving Indians of 5G services.

"Stringent criterion and control on private satellite filings and the protection criterion must be considered after these NGPEs acquire spectrum through auction", the COAI said in its letter.

The COAI represents Airtel, Vi, and Reliance Jio and global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Nokia and Ericsson.

This latest letter was sent after an apex panel of secretaries nudged the Department of Space (DoS) and the defense ministry to heed the DoT’s request to part with unused 5G spectrum – both in the coveted 26 GHz band and those in the 3.3-3.6 GHz frequencies – for commercial use by telcos.

The DoT wants the government to release 3,000 units of 26 GHz millimeter wave spectrum and 300 units in the 3.3-3.6 GHz for 5G. The airwaves are with the DoS and the defense ministry.

Globally, satellite-based broadband services have been picking pace. Bharti Airtel has also bought a 45% stake in UK-based communications company OneWeb for $500 million. A joint bidding entity of Bharti Global and the British government, which recently won a bid to take over UK’s OneWeb, has written to Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to secure landing rights to use the bankrupt British firm’s satellite systems capacity in India to deliver fast wireless broadband services, ET had reported.

Bharti Global is the overseas arm of Bharti Enterprises – the holding company of Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator.

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Indian telcos flag concerns over backdoor entry of Satcom operators: Report - ET Telecom | Satcom

Vodafone Idea: India’s telecom service providers have written to the Department of Space flagging their concerns over the “backdoor entry” of satellite communications (Satcom) operators in the country, as per a Business Standard report.
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Airtel starts refarming 2G spectrum for 4G services to enhance indoor coverage

Bharti Airtel has started deploying 4G technology in 900 megahertz band, which it was using for 2G services, across 10 telecom circles to enhance indoor coverage of the high-speed mobile telephony, according to sources involved in the process.

By Prasoon Srivastava, PTI
November 17, 2020, 16:44 IST
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New Delhi: Bharti Airtel has started deploying 4G technology in 900 megahertz band, which it was using for 2G services, across 10 telecom circles to enhance indoor coverage of the high-speed mobile telephony, according to sources involved in the process.

The refarming of 900 Mhz spectrum band for 4G services is underway in six circles of Delhi, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, North East, Karnataka and Rajasthan. The company will extend the exercise to more circles where it has liberalised spectrum in the 900 Mhz band, one of the sources said. A senior Bharti Airtel executive told that the company has already shut down 3G across the country and re-farmed all the 3G spectrum for 4G.

"As smartphone penetration grows further in small towns and villages, we have the opportunity to deploy some of the high quality 900 Mhz band from 2G to 4G and scale up network capacity without having to wait till auctions. This is helping us truly differentiate the 4G experience on our network," the company executive who did not wish to be named said.

The executive added that Bharti Airtel has liberalised 900 Mhz spectrum in 10 circles and the entire refarming process is expected to be completed in the next 3-4 months. A recent report by OpenSignal rated Airtel as the network with the highest download speed, the best gaming experience and also the best video experience.

The company executive said that the refarming will enable Bharti Airtel to further boost mobile signals inside buildings compared to signals transmitted in high frequency bands of 1800 Mhz and 2300 Mhz bands that are also in use for 4G services. "900 Mhz band with higher propagation, especially helps in better indoor coverage for 4G and adds more muscle to Airtel's 4G spectrum bank, which includes airwaves in 2300 Mhz and 1800 Mhz bands," the executive said.

Bharti Airtel recorded 14.4 million new 4G customers on its network in the second quarter of ongoing financial year. The executive said that Airtel will continue to provide 2G services. Another source mentioned that network vendors of the company in respective circles have been engaged in the refarming process. A query sent to Bharti Airtel in this regard elicited no immediate reply.

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Airtel starts refarming 2G spectrum for 4G services to enhance indoor coverage - ET Telecom

Bharti Airtel has started deploying 4G technology in 900 megahertz band, which it was using for 2G services, across 10 telecom circles to enhance indoor coverage of the high-speed mobile telephony, according to sources involved in the process.
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OFC makers demand benefits under PLI scheme

Homegrown optic-fibre cable (OFC) makers have sought benefits under the Centre's prestigious production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme following India's aggressive roadmap for next-generation technologies particularly the fifth-generation or 5G networks.

By Muntazir Abbas
ET Telecom
November 17, 2020, 11:13 IST
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NEW DELHI: Homegrown optic-fibre cable (OFC) makers have sought benefits under the Centre's prestigious production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme following India's aggressive roadmap for next-generation technologies particularly the fifth-generation or 5G networks.

“We are demanding the inclusion of optical fiber cables and preform in the list of telecom items as India has now the potential to become fiber capital of the world with the PLI. The optical can be a showcase for India for the world,” NK Goyal, chairman of the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA) told ET Telecom.

Early this month, the Cabinet has approved Rs 12,195 crore worth of stimulus as a part of the ambitious production incentive scheme for the telecom sector that includes localised manufacturing of core transmission gear including access and customer premises equipment, routers and switches.

The Narendra Modi government, through industry inducement, aims to attract large investments from investors worldwide to help domestic companies seize the emerging opportunities and become dominant players in the export market.

The immense scope of OFC production, a backbone of futuristic technologies such as fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) networks within India and deployment including in several other developing nations, according to the industry stakeholders have been overlooked by the Centre and expecting a course correction. The Delhi-based group is also likely to send a formal letter to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) seeking immediate intervention.

“India has the potential to become the global leader in the industry vertical. But China is transferring parts of its huge capacities partly to Vietnam and other countries to bypass import restrictions. So at one point, this may damage the Indian industry. Giving PLI benefits to OFC makers shall lead the industry to greater heights,” Sanjay Aggarwal, president, PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry said.

India requires 2 f-km (fibre kilometre) per person to achieve optimal connectivity to towers with 100% Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) penetration and to be fully able to 4G and 5G ready, Aggarwal said and added that the industry is looking for a 5% benefit on the sales in each of the three verticals on an increase from the base year (2019-20) sales.

“As we take Digital India to the next level, we can transform India as an economic superpower, address inequality and increase efficiency across sectors and socioeconomic class. To achieve this, it is imperative to put significant focus on investment on digital infrastructure creation to support BharatNet and other broadband connectivity efforts,” Anand Agarwal, group chief executive at Sterlite Technologies said.

The Delhi-based telecom infrastructure group too expressed the need to provide impetus to fibre-based network.

“In view of the forthcoming technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, the telecom infrastructure has a very important role to play. To meet these emerging technologies, tower densification and fiberisation will be required to support the new applications. The domestic manufacturing of preform and OFC cables will result in the faster rollout of 5G networks in India, leaving out the dependency on China,” Tilak Raj Dua, director-general, Telecom and Infrastructure Providers Association (Taipa) said.

Of the 5.25 lakh telecom assets or towers in the country, nearly 30% of them are fiberised, which is way lower than China’s 80% and the United States’ 90%. With India's 5G launch anticipated in 2023, the fiberisation rates are expected to surge from 2021 onwards," according to the research firm EY finding, and is anticipated to reach up to 60% in the next three years.

“Optical fibre, preform and OFC cables should be included in the PLI scheme as this is the vertical where India can lead the world,” Sandeep Aggarwal, co-chairman of the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (Tepc) said, and added that the government should encourage the Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) vendors to beat the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and the Taiwanese at their own game of passing on the government benefits for export purposes enabling the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) in a true letter and spirit.

Aggarwal added that since the demand for fibre is set to rise to meet the 4G and 5G aspirations, the telecom carriers would like to accelerate deployment at a reduced price, which should be the ultimate goal of the Centre’s ambitious scheme with the inclusion of OFC vendors.

“Manufacturing of world-class OFCs and their rapid deployment is one of the most critical elements of the value-chain in building robust and scalable digital network to meet the demand for high-speed data and quality of service,” Ashish D Jain, COO & Executive President, Telecom Business at Polycab India said.

Jain believes that the recent developments would push the demand and investments in OFC manufacturing, and it is the most critical time as the industry expects the government to bring OFC production in the PLI scheme.

In 2018, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has set up a target to increase fibre-footprint to 7.5 million kilometres by 2022, but following the Right-of-Way (RoW) challenges and telcos’ low investment appetite for infrastructure deployment has made the progress relatively slow.

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OFC makers demand benefits under PLI scheme - ET Telecom

PLI Scheme: Homegrown optic-fibre cable (OFC) makers have sought benefits under the Centre's prestigious production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme following India's aggressive roadmap for next-generation technologies particularly the fifth-generation or 5G networks.
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_Anonymous_ said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1336705755404148736

What could be the long term implications of this move? @Gautam
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Assuming it all works according to plan, this is what I can make out :

Short term :

The telecom market has many verticals(voice, SMS, MMS, Data) & horizontals(market penetration, competition in a part of the country, cost of data per unit etc.). In the last few years growth in telecom industry has happened not due to voice, SMS etc. but due to data. So growth was driven by all the horizontals in one vertical(Data). We have seen an increase in penetration, competition & reduction of cost per unit for data. We are now at a point where the vertical of data has rendered other verticals largely irrelevant.

India's overall market penetration for internet is at ~55%. Meaning ~45% of our population don't use the internet. The very young & very old of our population are unlikely to be using the internet no matter how great internet services in India becomes. That ~20% of our population will remain outside the market. Thus telecom companies have ~25% of our population as the immediate addressable market. By improving quality of services in every corner of the country & by providing cheap smartphones to the potential users that 25% becomes readily absorbable at the current level of technology. That's why you have Jio & Airtel clamoring to get their own cheap smartphones in the market.

Medium term :

The GoI is pushing for free WiFi in various public infrastructure centers like railway stations, airports, hospitals, colleges, universities etc. Most of the ones I've used so far seem to be based on 4G LTE small cell RRUs. They essentially offer the same speed as the average service provider, because they use the same hardware. Thus people who spend extended periods of time in such facilities are likely to offload a lot of their daily data usage on such free WiFi networks. This in turn would reduce the data packs they would buy from their service providers. Service providers provide cheap data, GoI provide free data. The choice isn't hard. There will come a time when the market penetration will saturate. So what does the service providers do ? Target a place where there is no free public WiFi : user's home.

You will notice a push from Airtel & Jio to get more people on fibre networks. The fibre network are getting bundled with TV, OTT services(Netflix, Amazon Prime) etc. Assuming customers adopt it a lot of our people will use free WiFi when outside & use fibre data at home. The dependence on SIM enabled data would reduce drastically but not completely.

Long term :

When all other options are exhausted service providers will be left with only the hard option. The only differentiator that will remain is speed. India has rather poor average internet speeds throughout the country. This is in part due to our massive user base, the stress put on our servers is unimaginable for most countries. We need a lot of submerged optical cables & in-country data servers or we need to offload a significant part of our server load to satellite internet services. Both these options will cost a bomb, the later option remains untested at our scales. But when you have nothing else to set yourself apart what do you do ?

Again you can see Jio trying to go the 5G O-RAN way to differentiate themselves. Airtel in turn seems to be going the satellite internet way with OneWeb satellites. In any case, interesting times ahead.
 
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About the safety among Core Networks and Access networks(5GC -- RAN), (1) How a stable consultation is created? What do safety needs - integrity & authentication only? (2) Does it use IPsec or DTLS? (3) Does the safety consultation has a time latency limit? (4) What is the potential of the gadgets used to create the stable consultation?
 

Desi 4G core maker PertSol bags LBS contract from BSNL​


PertSol (Pert Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd) has bagged a contract worth Rs 30 crore from state-run BSNL to deploy Location Based System (LBS) for the telco’s pan-India 2G/3G/4G network.

By Danish Khan
ET Telecom
January 21, 2021, 16:21 IST

NEW DELHI: PertSol (Pert Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd) has bagged a contract worth Rs 30 crore from state-run BSNL to deploy Location Based System (LBS) for the telco’s pan-India 2G/3G/4G network. The deployment of LBS was mandated by the telecom department in 2014 under the Unified Access Service License (UASL) rules.

“We will ensure timely implementation. LBS once commissioned will help BSNL to meet DoT LBS requirements/mandates and will also enable BSNL to provide value added services such as fleet management, etc,” Mitesh Vageriya, CEO of PertSol told ET. “The entire platform is in line with Aatmanirbhar Abhiyan of Govt of India.”

PertSol’s LBS solution, called iLocator, is already being used for various State Emergency Services such as UP112, Mumbai100, CG112, MP100, MERS112 and is being implemented in Gujarat112.

Mumbai-based PertSol already provides Lawful Interception System, IP Log Management, Fraud Management and Revenue Assurance and Remote Access System to BSNL in India.

Incorporated in 2014, PertSol claims that it has 100% in-house telecom solutions to provide packet core for 3G and 4G LTE data services. It also claims to offer IMS (VoLTE) and the entire packet core stack.

State-run C-DOT (The Centre for Development of Telematics) PertSol, and Mavenir have so far claimed that they can provide core for BSNL’s upcoming 4G network.

“...we further are also geared up to support BSNL in realising their dream of local core,” Vageria said.

In order to implement LBS, the ministry of communications and IT, had come out with a new notification on May 31, 2011, which focused on the amendment of the Unified Access Service License (UASL) agreement for security-related concerns for expansion of telecom services in various zones of the country.

BSNL had in January 2020 issued the tender for planning, engineering, supply, installation and annual maintenance of location based system and its interaction with LIS system and central monitoring system (CMS) for its network in North, East, South and West zones.

The tender was a turnkey implementation of the LBS System in the North, East, West and South zones comprising of GMLCs, SMLCs, SASs & E-SMLCs for about catering to the network of about 1200 BSCs, 500 RNCs and 10000 e-Node Bs across all zones.

Desi 4G core maker PertSol bags LBS contract from BSNL - ET Telecom
 

Airtel ready to offer 5G with 4G bands, needs mid-band for true 5G speeds, says CEO Vittal​


Airtel ready to offer 5G with 4G bands, needs mid-band for true 5G speeds, says CEO Vittal

By Danish Khan, ET Bureau
Last Updated: Jan 28, 2021, 02:01 PM IST

Synopsis​

Airtel said that its 5G is capable of delivering 10x speeds, 10x latency and 100x concurrency when compared to existing technologies. Specifically, in Hyderabad, users were able to download a full length movie in a matter of seconds on a 5G phone.​



Bharti Airtel is preparing for a 5G battle with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio and has claimed its end-to-end readiness to launch the high-speed technology in the country immediately after the availability of "adequate" spectrum. It has demonstrated live 5G services on its commercial 4G network in Hyderabad using 1800 MHz band.

The Sunil Mittal-led telco said that it can commercially launch 5G services without the mid-band with the help of existing 4G spectrum bands but it will wait for the government to release 5G spectrum, especially in the mid-band.

Analysts said that Airtel is looking to position itself as the main 5G telecom operator in India. The announcement made by India's second largest telco follows Mukesh Ambani's claim that Reliance Jio will launch 5G using its own technology in the second half of 2021.

Gopal Vittal, chief executive office of Airtel, said that the telco can commercially launch 5G services without the mid-band as its network now fully supports the high-speed technology.

“When we launch 5G and make it available commercially, it must have a full power of 5G instead of marketing. Delivering experience is a must and you need more spectrum, especially in the mid-band. That doesn’t mean 1800, 2300 and 2100 MHz can’t be used...true 5G will be enabled through mid-band," Vittal added.

He, however, added that it is premature to launch 5G using existing 4G bands since the 4G ecosystem for devices and applications is fairly matured. “We have been working on this since last one year to make our networks 5G ready. It is a flick of a button. It is important to have the right amount of spectrum for true 5G,” he further added.

"This seems to be a response to the competition in the market. Any significant deployment and use of 5G services will probably have to wait till after the auction of 5G spectrum," said Mahesh Uppal, director at Com First, a telecom consultancy.

The Sunil Mittal-led said that there won’t be a significant change in its capex since existing capex is largely enabling the 5G network.

Randeep Sekhon, chief technology officer of Bharti Airtel said that there are already a million 5G devices active on the telco’s network, which are broadly priced in the range of Rs 25,000.

“Pricing will play an important role and we feel that prices need to fall between Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 range for mass uptake. 4G was successful due to lower prices. We will work with all device partners to bring 5G smartphones to support all new and existing bands and technologies like dynamic spectrum sharing,” Sekhon said.

Airtel, however, reiterated the need for the adoption of global 5G standard in India for the 5G roll out and for a flouring ecosystem of applications and devices.

“The more widely embraced ecosystem, more innovation can happen. That doesn’t contradict make in India. We also embrace it fully and encourage partners to make it in India. The ecosystem should be a common global ecosystem to be able to get lower prices and interoperability. That’s an advantage of the standard-based ecosystem,” Vittal said.

Airtel is also exploring OpenRAN technology for the deployment of 5G along with existing 3GPP-approved NSA (Non-Stand Alone) and SA (Stand Alone) ways of deploying the technology.

“We are happy to adopt any technology that can give us lower cost and best quality and experience. 5G is moving towards open and interoperable interfaces across the world. Traditional and newer players are embracing open standards,” Vittal said.

Sekhon said that Airtel is engaged with several companies to explore the possibilities of the OpenRAN technology for 5G in India.

Jio, on the other hand, is looking to deploy 5G using SA with the help of its own 5G core.

Airtel also called for an ecosystem development for 5G technology in India, which can play a crucial role to drive innovation and 5G use cases.

“Some innovations and use cases will be developed by us and some by partners. 5G is not only for speeds and will not be the best use of the technology,” Vittal said.

Asked if Airtel will charge premium for its 5G services in India, Vittal said it is too early to decide on the pricing. He, however, added that ARPU in India is low and needs to reach Rs 200 and then Rs 300 over a period of time.

Airtel ready to offer 5G with 4G bands, needs mid-band for true 5G speeds, says CEO Vittal
 
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Telecom Department gives go-ahead for 5G Technology and Spectrum Trials

Telecom Service Providers to start 5G trials in different locations across India

5G trials to cover rural, semi-urban and urban areas

Go-ahead includes trials featuring indigenous 5G technology
​

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, approved today, permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology. The applicant TSPs include Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd., Vodafone Idea Ltd. and MTNL. These TSPs have tied up with original equipment manufacturers and technology providers which are Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT. In addition, Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd. will also be conducting trials using its own indigenous technology.

The permissions have been given by DoT as per the priorities and technology partners identified by TSPs themselves. The experimental spectrum is being given in various bands which include the mid-band (3.2 GHz to 3.67 GHz), millimeter wave band (24.25 GHz to 28.5 GHz) and in Sub-Gigahertz band (700 GHz). TSPs will also be permitted to use their existing spectrum owned by them (800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2500 MHz) for conduct of 5G trials.

The duration of the trials, at present, is for a period of 6 months. This includes a time period of 2 months for procurement and setting up of the equipment.

The permission letters specify that each TSP will have to conduct trials in rural and semi-urban settings also in addition to urban settings so that the benefit of 5G Technology proliferates across the country and is not confined only tourban areas.

The TSPs are encouraged to conduct trials using 5Gi technology in addition to the already known 5G Technology. It will be recalled that International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has also approved the 5Gi technology, which was advocated by India, as it facilitates much larger reach of the 5G towers and Radio networks.The 5Gi technology has been developed by IIT Madras, Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT) and IIT Hyderabad.

The objectives of conducting 5G trials include testing 5G spectrum propagation characteristics especially in the Indian context; model tuning and evaluation of chosen equipment andvendors; testing of indigenous technology; testing of applications (such as tele-medicine, tele-education, augmented/ virtual reality, drone-based agricultural monitoring, etc.);and to test 5G phones and devices.

5G technology is expected to deliver improved user experience in terms of data download rates (expected to be 10 times that of 4G), up to three times greater spectrum efficiency, and ultra low latency to enable Industry 4.0. Applications are across a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, education, health, transport, traffic management, smart cities, smart homes, and multiple applications of IOT (Internet of Things).

DoT has specified that the trials will be isolated and not connected with the existing networks of TSPs. Trials will be on non-commercial basis. The data generated during the trials shall be stored in India. TSPs are also expected to facilitate the testing of the indigenously developed use cases and equipment as part of the trials. One hundred applications/ use cases selected by DoT after conducting the recent Hackathon on 5G applications can also be facilitated in these trials.
pib.gov.in

Telecom Department gives go-ahead for 5G Technology and Spectrum Trials

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, approved today, permissions to Tele
pib.gov.in
https://twitter.com/x/status/1389778445651955713
For the first-time the Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) #telecom standard 5Gi has has been approved by Study Group 5 of International Telecom Union. 2/4

SG5 focuses on Environment, Climate Change and Circular economy. With India's 5Gi, not only our urban-connectivity will become smarter but rural connectivity will become cleverer tuning it for niche and resource-efficient rural needs. Remember India is a nation of villages. 3/4

India needed to be very sure that while it connects its villages a substantial fraction from tech standards to equipments remain under control of the vast Indian market forces. That has happened. Sounds like - Apna Desh, Apna Telecom & Apna Internet - finally. 4/4
 
For those not following 5G developments closely here is a recap :

In 2004 an autonomous organization came up in India for research into 4G LTE, 5G NR WiFi 6 technologies etc. The organization was named Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT). IIT-M, IIT-K, IIT-D, IIT-H, IISc, SAMEER, DRDO & many Indian pvt. telecom equipment companies were the founding members. They received financial support from the MeitY, GoI. These guys quietly laboured away for years creating IP, getting patents in India & the US. They have 100+ patents in India, 20+ patents in the US and many more waiting to be approved.

The funding from the GoI was miniscule. A lot of the patents filed by the pvt. companies were reported under their name & not under CEWiT as they funded their own research. Either way a decade of R&D work later CEWiT had gathered quite a bit of expertise in 5G telecoms tech.

So in 2013-14, India formed a new telecoms standard board called the TSDSI to develop India specific technologies & use cases for future gen telecoms. It is mostly focused on 5G tech & standards. The main objective was to take the tech developed by CEWiT & others and make it a part of the global 5G standards.

But as always we were too late. By then most of 5G tech was patented leaving little room for us. There was a certain tech that we managed to get in on. It is called the Large Cell Low Mobility (LCLM). It allows the range of 5G towers to be increased tremendously. With LCLM the range of 5G mobile towers will go from 1.7 km to 12 km. The tech was developed keeping rural India in mind.

One of the reasons why we have low mobile internet speeds in India is due to the lack of fiberisation of towers. Meaning the core network isn't connected to telecom towers through optical fibers but through microware back & mi-haul antennas. Optical fibers are expensive & in rural areas with low demand no telco wants to do that. With LCLM you can drastically improve the network speed in rural India at minimal cost.

Obviously this cuts into the profit margins of many traditional telecom equipment makers. Without the LCLM you would need 7 towers with multiple RRUs to cover 12 km, with the LCLM you can cover that distance with 1 tower. When less equipment can do more, equipment makers suffer. So the likes of Nokia, Ericson, Samsung, Qualcomm etc. vehemently opposed it.

But somehow we managed to get the LCLM to be adopted at the ITU. But the tech had to be watered down to just 8km instead of 12, else no body would agree. But ITUs standards are non binding so those companies can simply ignore it. 3GPP's standards are binding however. So the companies fought it off. They would not let LCLM be a part of global 5G standards, because if it become part of the standard equipment manufacturers have to pay CEWiT for the IP licensing.

This non-admission meant a new 5G standard was created called the 5Gi. 3GPP, telecom MNCs & even some foreign govts. started lobbying to New Delhi to not adapt the 5Gi as it is not compatible with global 5G standards. Which is a lie, 5Gi is a superset of the 5G and adopting it would require minimal changes in software. 5Gi is not compatible not for tech reasons but due to its non-admission by 3GPP.

Do read these 2 articles for more on the 5Gi & the negotiation processes/politics involved :

India makes its maiden entry into 5G standards, pisses off big telecoms - The Ken

Nokia, Ericsson, Airtel, and the big boys club resisting India’s 5Gi - The Ken

The foreign lobbying to Delhi seems to have been counter productive. With the recent banning of Chinese telecom firms there is renewed interest in network safety. Delhi now sees network safety as integral to national security. Amidst all that imagine foreign companies lobbying to Delhi to give up on local IPs developed in part by its own funding.

Sensing the political mood Jio has recently announced that their 5G network is fully compatible with 5Gi standards. Airtel & VI are heavily opposing it, which is understandable as unlike Jio they are dependency on foreign firms for 5G. GoI has ordered MeitY & DoT to work out a way of deploying 5Gi in India. The lobbying has intensified since then.

India is the 2nd largest telcom market in the world after China. Given most of these firms aren't going to deploy 5G in China, India is de facto the largest market. If 5Gi gets deployed here it will gain proponents abroad. Many developing countries supported the 5Gi during the 3GPP meetings. There is a distant possibility that 5Gi may become accepted without the 3GPP's approval which weakens their standing.

MeitY & DoT seems to be working on an UPI like model. Where the telecom's core, software stack & backhaul will be provided to telcos, they can innovate & deploy their own mid & front haul. The mid & front haul may be developed in India, manufactured in India or procured from abroad. The critical core networks will be kept free of foreign involvement as much as possible. Knowing this read the following :

​

India’s 5G network will have a desi soul​


By S. Ronendra Singh
New Delhi | Updated on June 27, 2021
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Local players to provide backbone for the tech which PM may flag off on I-Day next year

India’s 5G network will ride on technology and hardware developed by local companies, big and small, and is slated for commercial launch by August 15 next year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Independence.

A government official who is in the know of things told BusinessLine: “The 5G network would start around August next year and the PM may launch it officially on August 15. The major surprise of the launch will be that you will find a lot of Indian technology – be it in hardware or software – in it. As you are aware, India is very strong in software, so many technologies will be dependent on our local software companies. They will be the backbone.”

Roping in global firms​

He said companies such as Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Qualcomm are already making hardware in India, and many other global companies will be working together for the success of 5G in India.

Asked about Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE, which are still not invited for the trials, the official said, “Why talk about these two companies only? There are many other companies that are developing 5G technology for the world…many local players are also capable.”

Recently, Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), also said that India has a huge talent pool and no one should not undermine that. “Some fully indigenous stacks are also taking shape, which is extraordinary in this particular case. As 5G starts taking shape in India, one thing that we would like to enable is manufacturing in India so that it is not only the users of 5G in India, but also the manufacturers and providers of these technologies who can make a mark in the global arena,” he said.

IoT & 5G​

So, while the DoT will work on 5G, MeitY has to work on devices, sensors, IoT and many other related devices like drones, robotics and AR/VR.

“IoT and 5G are made for each other…they work beautifully together. As sensors integrate significantly into our lives, the skeleton is the device and the life is weaved into those devices by 5G. These cannot work on 2G, 3G or 4G. With 4G, you can get started, but 5G really brings them out in their full brilliance,” Sawhney added.

Companies like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are also working in full swing developing 5G network and are undertaking trials. While Jio is doing trials in Mumbai using indigenously developed technology, Airtel had demonstrated 5G over a live commercial network in Hyderabad, becoming India’s first telco to do that.

DoT had in May allocated 5G trial spectrum in 700-megahertz (MHz), 3.2-3.6-gigahertz (GHz), and 24.25-28.5-GHz bands to Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea to develop India-specific use-cases. The 5G auctions would take place later this year.

India’s 5G network will have a desi soul


If they go for it, I wonder how they will select a 5G core & stack. Many Indian companies seem to have developed it. Will there be a contest ? Also CEWiT is developing a 5G test bed by mid 2021. This will be the 3rd 5G test bed in India after currently operational Jio & Airtel test beds. That test bed might be ideal for such a contest. Also the 5G spectrum prices need to be lowered or at least alternative payment plans are needed.
 
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