Qualcomm said that India is going to be a “fast follower” of the fifth-generation (5G) technology, even as the country’s pan-Indian 4G LTE networks continue to see exponential data consumption due to falling data rates and rapid uptake of smartphones and 4G feature phones. The US-based chipmaker said to ET Telecom that the 4G feature phone will continue to see good growth in the country.
“When you can prove that the demand for data is there it naturally drives to how do you manage it from a business perspective. If you have a big demand for data, you clearly need to drive the cost down so that you can compete. Basically, you need a bigger pipe, and that naturally leads to the implementation of 5G,” Jim Cathey, senior vice president and president of Asia Pacific and India, told ET, in a recent interaction.
The Indian government has set a commercial rollout target for consumers by 2020 at par with global timelines with the telecom department poised to unveil its 5G technology roadmap by June.
ET reported that the government has already committed budgetary support for a 5G technology test bed that will be anchored at the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai. However, cash-strapped Indian telcos are averse to an early 5G spectrum sale and want the government to defer it till FY20 so that there is time for the device ecosystem to develop and the industry to overcome its financial stress and consolidate completely.
Cathey said that there are various sectors such as healthcare, automobiles and smart cities that would require low latency for new use cases. “5G plays a big part in that and the government will be instrumental here, and so should the carrier,” he said, adding that the government agencies need to work closely with private companies
