The next-generation connectivity technology, 5G, is what 80% of Indian enterprises have kept on their priorities list. The data comes from Deloitte India, which surveyed 437 IT Line-of-Business (LoB) executives from nine different countries, out of which 51 subjects were from India. The study was carried out during the Q4 of 2020. According to the results of the survey, over 80% of Indian enterprises have kept 5G at the top of their priorities list, and over 73% of enterprises believe that Wi-Fi 6 is equally important. 55% of the subjects in the study chose Wi-Fi 6 for providing indoor connectivity, while 53% of subjects preferred 5G for outdoor connectivity.
Licensing 5G Spectrum From Telcos is What Indian Enterprises Want
The study revealed that 32% of the Indian enterprises would look for setting up their private 5G networks by licensing spectrum from the telecom operators. Further, 20% of subjects were even ready for spectrum sharing if they would receive dedicated rights. The Indian enterprises are ready to take a slice of the private 5G network from the operators instead of going for the private 5G completely. This means that the government is likely to avail both the private 5G and private 5G slice options to the enterprises. This shows the disinterest of the Indian enterprises in purchasing the spectrum directly from the government. However, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) hasn’t even announced the roadmap for 5G in India. So these decisions taken by the executives during the survey can very well change in the near future. For now, the DoT has said that spectrum in the mid-band (3.3 GHz - 3.6 GHz) will be used for 5G in India. The operators want the telecom department to update the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) of India and avail frequencies in more bands for an affordable 5G rollout. Further, the DoT is yet to decide how much portion of the 5G spectrum will be reserved for the enterprises to roll out private 5G. The 5G spectrum auctions could take place during the third quarter of FY2021-22 (October to December 2021) or the last/fourth quarter of FY2021-22 (January to March 2022). The DoT is expected to announce an updated NFAP soon.
