As the curtains came down on the 7-day long auction on the 5G spectrum earlier this week, the focus has now shifted to the public launching of 5G services by the three telecom companies that were in the fray (The Adani group, the fourth participant in the auctions, will provide 5G services only private network solutions).
The auctions netted the government a record Rs 1,50,173 crore --- this is the biggest sale of airwaves in India. In all, out of the total 72,098MHz of the spectrum available on auction with a validity period of 20 years, 51,236MHz has been sold to the bidders.
Reliance Jio (Rs 88,078 crore), Bharti Airtel (Rs 43,084 crore), Vodafone-Idea (Rs 18,799 crore) and the Adani group (Rs 212 crore) were the sums splurged by the companies that participated in the auctions.
As the next step in the governmental process, the spectrum have to be formally allocated to the companies. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the spectrum allocation will be completed by August 10.
Companies are now vying with each other to get off the 5G blocks first. Both Jio and Airtel have made energetic moves, while Vodafone-Idea seems to be slow on the uptake. The initial rollout will be only in a few select cities.
5G will provide higher speed, lower latency and greater capacity than 4G LTE networks. It is one of the fastest, most robust technologies the world has ever seen. 5G means quicker downloads, much lower lag and a significant impact on how we live, work and play. The upcoming 5G services have the potential to create new age businesses, generate additional revenue for enterprises and provide employment, too.
Airtel and Jio, the early starters
Airtel has already officially announced that it'll commence the deployment of 5G in August itself. The company has signed 5G network agreements with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung for the same. Airtel bid for and acquired 19867.8 MHZ spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz frequency
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Airtel has said, "We are delighted to announce that Airtel will commence roll out of 5G services in August. Our network agreements are finalized and Airtel will work with the best technology partners from across the world to deliver the full benefits of 5G connectivity to our consumers. India’s transition into a digital economy will be led by telecom and 5G presents a game-changing opportunity to drive the digital transformation of industries, enterprises and the socio-economic development of India."
Airtel's arch rivals, Jio, appears no slouch either. The word is out that it may launch its 5G services on August 15 --- the country's 75th Independence Day. Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio Infocomm, said that they will celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ with a pan-India 5G rollout.
Jio acquired spectrum in the 700MHz, 800MHz, 1800MHz, 3300MHz and 26GHz bands in the auctions. "Jio is fully ready for 5G rollout in the shortest period of time because of its nationwide fibre presence, all-IP network with no legacy infrastructure, indigenous 5G stack and strong global partnerships across the technology ecosystem," the company has already said.
As of now the 5G race seems to be between Jio and Airtel. But who has the edge?
This is what they claim
An IANS news report, quoting a Nomura study said, "700 MHz band could potentially give Reliance Jio an edge in terms of network quality, especially indoors, and this could increase investors’ concerns on further spectrum outgo for Bharti if R-Jio were able to offer significant differentiation in network quality (vs Bharti) with 5G on 700 band”.
But Airtel, on the other hand, said choice of multiple partners will enable it to roll out 5G services spanning ultra-high-speeds, low latency and large data handling capabilities, which will enable a superior user experience.
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: "With Ericsson’s unrivalled, global 5G deployment experience, we will help Bharti Airtel deliver the full benefits of 5G to Indian consumers and enterprises, while seamlessly evolving the Bharti network from 4G to 5G. 5G will enable India to realize its Digital India vision and foster inclusive development of the country.
The Indian telecom Ministry had earlier announced that the 5G services will be made available in 13 Indian cities in the beginning. The cities that could be getting 5G services in 2022 include the top four metropolitan locations of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. In addition, the country's software capital Bangalore and upcoming tech city Hyderabad are also on the list. The others include Jamnagar, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Pune, Chandigarh and Gurugram. Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Jio had set up 5G trials sites in all these thirteen cities.
There is significant consumer interest in adopting 5G, and 40 million smartphone users could take up 5G in its first year of availability in India, according to Ericsson.
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