5G race has already started. There is talk of USA vs Pacific (China / Japan / S. Korea) competition for this race. Where does India stand in this race?
India wants to lead in 5G race and created a regulatory policy framework to encourage investments. Is this enough to lead in 5G race? What other initiatives can be started to help lead in 5G race? In recent budget, 5G research funding was approved. This funding is used to buy 5G equipment as “import” vs self-reliance initiatives to build 5G infrastructure. In this article, I present few ideas to help India in 5G race outlined below:
R&D effort
Research and Development (including 240 Crores available) should be used to make India self-reliant. This money should be used as “seed capital” of IITs working closely with industry (or startups via open proposal mechanisms) to create sel-reliance in 5G infrastructure equipment development. Focus should be in development of new research and development initiative that can be commertialized in 2-3 years max with large private operator sponsorship and interest to deploy Indian 5G Equipment. Actively participate in ensuring that projects are successful.
Pubic Private Partnership
Several key Public Private Partnership (PPP) 5G infrastructure initiatives can be created to help in Indian 5G race. Examples are:
Fiber in the ground
Indian Government invest in building national-wide fiber and IP-network which can be offered to private partners and operators at very low cost with equal, fair, easy access rules without much bureaucracy involved in getting access. This can be called as “building strategic national asset initiative”. Some of this nation-wide IP-network capacity can also be used for defense, public-safety, rural, Smart City and Government IP-network requirements.
Street Furniture access
Create fair and equal access rule to Government and street assets that encourage network sharing. Creating separate street furniture access for each operator is not a scale-able and economically feasible option. So, fair and equitable rules for shared site access of street furniture managed by Govt / state / city administration at break-even cost is needed.
Three pillers of 5G
Create regulatory policy and private-public partnership for deployment of following three pillers of 5G infrastructure building blocks:
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Smart Building
Every building can have multi-MNO neutral-host and private 5G network deployment build on 5G network architecture principles of virtualization, Hardware-software separation, Network-slicing to ensure low cost in-building solution development and operational models.
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Smart City
– 5G plays a key role in building Smart City Infrastructure. Develop new regulatory policies with new investments in Retail, Roads, Utiliities, Public-safety and city-level applications that can be replicated across many cities in a consistent manner.
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Smart Transport
Railways and Roads 5G deployment and operational models must be developed with an objective of 5-year execution plan using Public-Private Partnership investment models. Every car and public vehicle can deploy a 5G hotspot or relay devices for public / private network access, connected car applications and eventually autonomous applications as a long term plan.
Conclusion
These three 5G deployment pillers with Public Private Partnership will create $1.4 trillian dollar GDP growth that is projected from 5G investments. Without concrete action plan for 5G investments to create GDP growth, this potential will not be achieved.
Indian policy makers have a choice today. Create an execution plan for 5G growth and investment OR miss out on the 5G race.
Mobilestack Inc can help build these policy initiatives for broader public good. Please contact us if needed to help develop 5G execution strategy for India.