High bandwidth, automation, and app dependent networks are the future

Telecommunications sector set to remain steady amid uncertain economic outlook due to COVID-19 pandemic.

We are entering a 5G world where everything is connected, powered by the next generation of mobile tech that offers ultra-low latencies and superfast speeds.

In my view and seeing the current trends globally… we are now second largest telecom subscriptions, internet user base and APP downloads globally. Over 600 million have access to mobile and internet connectivity base of mobile subscriptions and fixed broadband subscribers and has the highest data usage per smart phone at an average of 9.8GB per month and forecast to continue to fuel the telecoms sector growth in the 2019-25 period.

Internet users over the last in six years numbers are growing and more Internet users are expected to come online over the next six years and it will be doubled by 2025.

Now, a fresh target has been set with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing in his recent Independence Day speech that 600,000 villages will get optical fiber connectivity in 1,000 days.

Experts believe the PM’s vision will mean a surge in data demand—a huge positive for the industry.

Increasing investments are seen by all service providers in India and 5G is the next big leap for India’s telecom sector. There is a robust momentum toward 5G today. We start with the idea that the number of connected devices is going to exponentially increase. Once that happens, the industry is preparing to invest in the fundamental silicon technologies to advance the cause of edge computing and driving that to create business analytics to get an impact

Now mid-tier smartphones becoming 5G-enabled and mostly by next year first quarter operators will be launching 5G.

The challenges ahead
Rollouts are equally costly and necessary. At the same time, operators should build intelligence into their networks to balance traffic, manage devices, and heal failures—deployments have been understandably cautious for the most part. Operators, with limited budgets, have primarily focussed on reaching large urban areas, with many rural locations barely having access to 4G yet.

5G technology impact on supply chain management
IoT technologies can enhance supply chain management using identity chips, sensors, communication devices, cloud computing networks, and data analytics engines all working together to fuel automation, continuous feedback, and better decision-making. With 5G, billions more IoT devices can be connected to the global network, according to Ericsson, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer.

COVID effect
Due to increasing concerns over the coronavirus, the GSMA—the mobile industry body that represents most telecoms operators worldwide—chose to cancel Mobile World Congress, its biggest event of the year.

The cancellation leaves a major gap in the telecoms calendar, but the impact may be significant for 5G. After all, the new connectivity standard was set to the top the agenda at MWC 2020. Countless companies were set to make announcements related to 5G. Conference tracks were dedicated to use cases and rollouts. But now, they would not take place.

The impact of the cancellation will come in two forms. The first is simple: all of the usual events that take place at a major trade show like MWC were cancelled with it. Meetings, dealmaking, and frank discussions about 5G—all things that go on behind the scenes—may be delayed or may not take place at all. It could have a devastating impact on the ecosystem around such a big conference.