5G spectrum auctions are less than a month away in India. The telecom operators have already made their networks 5G ready and have conducted enough tests and trials to launch it commercially once they receive the spectrum. When asked by TelecomTalk during a virtual briefing, Dr Thiaw Seng Ng, Head of Network Evolution, SEA, Oceania and India, Ericsson, said that the early use cases that Indian telecom operators will be enabling with 5G are FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), Healthcare (remote ambulance), and eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband). Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have already demonstrated the use case of their 5G network for ambulances. With high frequencies in the play, FWA can be really successful in delivering internet services in rural and sub-urban areas of India. 5G FWA utilises standardised 3GPP architectures and common mobile components for delivering high-speed broadband services to consumers. 5G FWA can act as a really solid alternative to the fixed-line DSL, cable or fiber services across markets.
Consumers to Benefit a Lot from eMBB
Consumers are going to benefit a lot from the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), which promises much larger and increased bandwidth and decreased latency compared to the existing 4G networks in the country. Smart Ambulances will also play a major role in saving lives in the near future. Enabled by the 5G networks, ambulances in India will be able to allow real-time diagnosis and treatment of the patient with a high degree of precision by live feeding the patient data to the doctor inside the hospital. These are some of the use cases that Thiaw believes that the Indian telecom operators are most excited about. It is worth noting that Ericsson has been working closely with the telecom operators globally as well as in India with Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Bharti Airtel. The company definitely understands the needs of the telcos and how to enable them for succeed in their 5G journey.
