DoT, 14 ministries to set up 5G use-case test labs

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is setting up test labs in collaboration with 14 other ministries and departments to explore 5G use cases for the respective government departments. Sources aware of the development told BusinessLine that the DoT will be conducting focussed interactive sessions on digital use cases/applications leveraging communication technologies such as 5G/4G-Adv and IoT (Internet of Things).

The 14 ministries slated to take part in the 5G use case test labs are: Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Department of Water, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Housing and Urban Administration, Ministry Electronics and IT, and the Department of Science and Technology.

Inter-ministerial committee
The DoT has set up an inter-ministerial committee, led by Member (technology), for engagement with these 14 Central ministries. According to sources, focussed interactive sessions to explore use cases are expected to happen soon for five ministries. These include the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, where rgw role of ICT will be explored in the smart cities mission; Ministry of Power, where use cases of smart grids and smart metering will be explored for the National Smart Grid Mission; for the Ministry of Education the role of ICTs to further expand the New Education Policy will be discussed; for Ministry of Jal Shakthi, use cases for water conservation, augmentation & preservation, smart water & sewage management will be looked at; and lastly for Ministry of Railways- Rail-Track Safety, Trackside Systems -video analytics, Intelligent Transport, Collision avoidance, Freight Management/Asset tracking will be explored.

The expected outcomes of these sessions are going to be possible collaborations among stakeholders (solution providers, user agencies, OEMs) to conduct pilots for reasonably matured use cases. Sources also said that the ministries in collaboration with the DoT will work on ideas, technologies, prototyping, fine-tuning of use cases…identified by the Vertical Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications.

The massive uptick in bandwidth and reduced latency that are expected to come with the 5G revolution have already spurred major discussions and applications by enterprises and governments across the globe that are using connected solutions to augment their operations. 5G is also resulting in major interest in private networks, where enterprises, manufacturing units and buildings, set up their own network to automatise their workings as well as set up newer types of facilities. For instance, with 5G, there will be enough bandwidth and low latency to set up a smart factory run entirely on its own, which could also teach itself to elevate its operations through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Or, in case of hazardous working conditions like mining, workers can now operate precision machinery from safety using augmented reality. Machines can be outfitted as well, with precise detection systems to avoid accidents.

While the DoT did not respond to BusinessLine’s email query, a senior official at the ministry confirmed that the DoT is setting up test labs for digital use cases. The Department of Telecommunications’ endeavors thus beckons the utilisation of 5G in public policy applications. The Hindu BusinessLine