India Allocates 5G Spectrum To Major Telcos For Trial

India’s DoT has allocated 5G spectrum to select telecom operators paving way for the long-awaited 5G trials.

The 5G trials will be conducted at various cities including Bengaluru, New Delhi, Gujarat, Hyderabad, etc, Times of India has reported.

Reportedly, India’s DoT has allocated spectrum in 700 MHz band, 3.3-3.6 GHz band, and 24.25-28.5 GHz band across trial locations. The trials will last for almost six months. Here are the frequency bands for 2G, 3G, 4G in India.

“After the trial is over, all the resulting data is turned in to the government and it will proceed towards spectrum auction.” Cellular Operators’ Associ­ation of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar told Indian media outlets.

on May 4th, India’s Department of Telecommunications had approved applications for 5G testing from various telecoms such as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, MTNL, etc.

Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and C-DOT will participate to develop 5G telecom infrastructures in India. However, Reliance Jio Infocomm has informed that it will conduct the trials using its own indigenous 5G technology.

Due to escalated political skirmishes, India has snubbed Chinese companies from its procurement of 5G equipment.

During trials, various sectors will be part of 5G applications. The Indian government will monitor 5G’s viability in tele-medicine, Tele-education, and drone-based agriculture monitoring, etc. Carrier networks will also test various 5G-enabled devices on their network.

Checkout: What is 5G and the applications/services with it?

Bridging The Digital Divide With 5G

In its approval letter to the telecom operators, DoT of India has specified that each telco must test its 5G network in both urban and rural settings. This approach reflects India’s ambition to spread the benefits of the 5G across the country and not to limit it to the towns only.

The uniform penetration of 5G will lessen the disparity of broadband distribution and help towards bridging the digital divide which has been wide in India. It will speed up decentralizing broadband access in the country irrespective of the locations and its commercial viability.

India’s DoT has stated that 5G technology will deliver ten times better download speed dwarfing the current 4G. It will also have up to three times greater spectrum efficiency.

Do read; Is 5G better than 4G?

India is the second-largest telecommunication market with a 1.16 billion user base. 5G launch will not only improve its broadband efficiency but also raise its status up to China’s, its imminent competition.

Check out: Nepal Telecom prepares for 5G trials.

What do you think of India’s stance on testing 5G in both rural and city areas? Should Nepal also follow the same suit? Leave your opinions in the comments section below.