View | 5G has potential to change the course of India's future

When Martin Luther King Jr gave his iconic “I have a dream” speech, it triggered a civil movement that changed the United States’ very fabric. While the 5G revolution does not hold that much impetus, it too surely has the potential to change the course of India’s future.

When we think of what difference 5G will make, this is one of the scenarios that springs to mind: A farmer in a remote village in India is happy after selling his yield on an online marketplace at great profits. He then takes out his 5G-enabled smartphone and calls his son in the United States, who is studying at the University of Michigan. After a hearty conversation with his son, the farmer fires up his laptop and starts taking his classes on Artificial Intelligence in Farming.

However, this is not our dream. Our dream is to enable 5G networks that can enable such scenarios. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 5G services in India during the inauguration of the Indian Mobile Congress in Delhi on Saturday morning.

5G is powered by networks of the future: the current vendor-dependent legacy networks that are not equipped to handle the data transfer of 5G have long been gone. Open, standard-based, software-centric virtual platforms have emerged. These are densely fiberised and based on O-RAN architectures. Virtualised RANs are built on open hardware. This disaggregation is making way for more innovation and flexibility but is also breaking the barriers of entry for new vendors.

5G is connecting the unconnected: 5G is not only enabling uninterrupted connectivity in urban India, but it is also powering rural connectivity. The network engineers are using 5G to leverage holograms, augmented reality and algorithmic tools to design networks for distant, remote places. 5G-powered tools are being used for the deployment and maintenance of networks in these areas.

India-made 5G is the benchmark for the world: India, which was slightly behind the 5G curve, to begin with, is now enabling the 5G ecosystem of the world. The country’s high-end capabilities to produce 5G hardware solutions and technical prowess in creating software solutions are making India a perfect destination for all 5G conceptualisation, development and manufacturing.

At STL, we are not only dreaming of enabling 5G, but we are also working towards accomplishing it. We have been working towards developing and strengthening our value proposition in Open access networks. We have already set up a 5G-ready manufacturing presence across US, UK, Italy, Brazil and India. Our collaborations with key companies — ASOCS, VMware, IDS Group, Optotec and Clearcomm are making us capable of building solutions for all layers of a 5G network. We can currently see the big picture of the 5G networks and yet zoom in on specific technologies to solve core problems for our customers.

We are absolutely ready to accomplish our 5G dream in India because as Martin Luther King said: “Now is the time…”