India’s private 5G adoption to accelerate from H2 2024

According to Sanjay Malik, Senior Vice President and Head of the India Market at Nokia, there will be an increase in the adoption of private 5G networks in India starting from the second half of 2024. While some early adopters may emerge this year, the major growth in the adoption of private networks is expected to happen in enterprises during the specified period.

Malik emphasized the benefits of private networks, stating that they offer customized solutions to meet the specific requirements of enterprises. He acknowledged that it takes time to establish the entire ecosystem for private networks but believed that the telecom companies and application providers play a crucial role in making this happen.

In terms of use cases for 5G technology in India, Malik highlighted enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) as the earliest use cases. He mentioned that data capacity is a significant use case, and even though device prices and penetration of 5G are currently limited, the ecosystem is progressing well. Citing the example of the US market, he noted that FWA is driving 90% of net additions in home broadband connections.

Malik also acknowledged the challenges of providing fibre connectivity to every home in India and expressed that FWA will be the preferred solution for home broadband.

Additionally, he mentioned that India is actively involved in the standardization of 6G networks, with a significant number of employees at Nokia’s Bengaluru office working on 6G standardization. He highlighted the role of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in shaping the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s 6G Framework and mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released India’s “Bharat 6G Vision” document, envisioning India’s contribution to the development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030. ISP