5G enabled IoT ecosystem

India is witnessing a huge data surge and is rapidly approaching the dawn of a digital revolution. In this new era of digital revolution- information, communication and technology (ICT) will be the dominant industry, which through digitization is likely to create opportunities by introducing new services and products and increasing the productivity efficiency in industry verticals.

As per a report, India’s digital economy has the potential to reach $1 trillion by 2025, with 5G being the main catalyst that will fuel this growth. Leveraging dense networks of small cells, 5G, the next-generation wireless technology now portends to open new doors to a 5G-enabled IoT ecosystem that will pave the way for new growth engines for the Indian economy.

The rollout of 5G now enables private and captive 5G networks for non-public use which will work as a great enabler of digital transformation for businesses and industries across India. This will allow companies to operate exclusive networks for their sole use – for example an airport operator who will no longer be dependent on a public network.

High-bandwidth, ultra-fast, low-latency 5G-enabled industrial IoT applications will help connect billions of networks over the next five years. According to industry reports, by 2023 the number of IoT-connected devices is expected to grow to 43 billion, a threefold increase from 2018. Other sectors that will be significantly impacted by 5G include agriculture, education, healthcare, automotive, gaming, automation, and manufacturing, to name a few.

This “smart industry” that combines the physical world with digital technologies is poised to transform the entire value chain, from research and development to design, engineering and finally manufacturing. For India, the development of highly competitive manufacturing hubs is one of the greatest opportunities to keep pace with economic growth and contribute to its goal of a $1 trillion electronics manufacturing economy by 2025.

From a performance perspective, 5G can handle a workload of up to 1 million devices per square kilometer. Interestingly, the Gati Shakti Team from the Logistics Division of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade of the Government of India recently issued a desk memorandum to all states requesting them to promptly map four categories of data layers for the national deployment of 5G. These include utility poles, traffic light poles, bus terminals and shelters, and government buildings are linked to India’s focus on small cell technology for 5G rollout.

This will help create more uniform and ubiquitous 5G coverage that will meet business needs as much as it benefits consumers. 5G and IoT adoption will also be driven by other factors such as the affordability of IoT devices.

Due to the increased use of internet services and apps, the demand for better telecom networks, and currently the implementation of 5G network, this gap will only widen. All it seems, the future of 5G is full of limitless possibilities.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA