5G: Men (still) at work

The ‘slip between the cup and the lip’ has become too long for 5G if we look at its actual, on-ground picture of both deployment progress and impact

Smart fisheries, remote surgeries, intelligent trucks, extreme gaming, real-time farm-tech, private LTE factories, Metaverse, Augmented Reality (AR), low-latency-everything, URLLC-many things; all this is a superb picture of the future that is ‘almost here’. All these super-fast, and super-sleek, jets are almost done with all the tinkering. They are waiting in the wings to take off.

Albeit, a hitch. The runway, called 5G, is still being paved.

It is a strong and promising road that is being laid with a lot of fervour and hope. But overall, the ground is still soggy, slippery and unfriendly to hammers and nails. Meanwhile, the world waits with bated breath for all those new flights that can be propelled from this runway. The pilots are ready and passengers are strapped. But the departure screen keeps changing. It does not exactly look on time in many spots.

By 2025, 5G is expected to account for a quarter of all total mobile connections, as per a GSMA report. But would that happen so easily? Consider a recent Analysys Mason’s 5G deployment tracker that shows that 44 new 5G networks were launched by operators in 2022; a dip from the 48 launches in 2021. There were also some postponed launches in 2022, attributed to delays in the spectrum allocation process and regulatory barriers. In 2023, there has been only one 5G network launch in Q1. An additional 67 are either in deployment or slotted for a later date. Even in the Standalone genre of 5G, while launches are on the rise in Western Europe and developed Asia-Pacific (DVAP), the adoption remains slow.

“Rolling out 5G will take 3-4 years because it will need a lot of depth and density, with lots of base stations, sensors, cloud, compute platforms and edge infra.”- Sanjay Nayak Co-founder, CEO and MD, Tejas Networks

“Enterprises often have legacy technologies and networks in place, which need to coexist and interoperate with the new 5G infrastructure.” Praveen Cherian- CEO, STL Global Services

A Counterpoint Research report indicates that a major chunk of the 5G deployments in 2022 was in the developed economies of the world. The scenario could shift towards emerging markets in 2023 with more network roll-outs expected in emerging markets and a shift from 5G NSA to 5G SA. But it is hard to miss that many players, especially in the emerging market region, are struggling. Only 42 operators have deployed 5G SA commercially while many are in testing and trials. Overall, the deployments in emerging economies are lagging, the report says.

Commenting on the infrastructure for 5G, Sanjay Nayak, Co-founder, CEO and MD, Tejas Networks said: “Rolling out 5G will take three to four years because it will need a lot of depth and density, with lots of base stations, sensors, cloud and compute platforms and edge infra.” “5G is still evolving and only major cities have access with a large number of Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities still out of coverage,” he added.

This delay trickles its way into on-ground confidence in 5G’s execution ease. When compared to wired or wireless broadband connection 5G is a more expensive option, says Manoj Gupta, Associate Vice President – IT, Burger King India. “Therefore, for an enterprise to fully reap the benefits that 5G offers, they will have to invest a huge amount. The best way to tackle this would be to do a step-by-step cost investment. 5G will replace broadband connections in the future but at the moment considering the cost factor and network range, we have decided to wait for some more time. However, we are open to adopting 5G as a secondary or backup connection provided the store has a network range.”

The ‘slip between the cup and the lip’ has become too long for 5G if we look at its actual, on-ground picture of both deployment progress and impact. Interestingly, a lot of this can be blamed on business strategy gaps as it can be slapped on the shoulders of technical cavities. From fibreisation, technical infrastructure, and spectrum gaps to the absence of 5G-savvy use cases, many pot-holes dot this up-and-coming airstrip.

Let’s see some of the top issues that are blocking 5G’s path.

The nuts and bolts

Ask Biswajeet Mahapatra, Principal Analyst at Forrester and he points at the low level of fibreisation as the biggest issue. “Fibreisation is the process of connecting radio towers via optical fibres. In India, only 30-40% of towers are fibreised whereas it is almost 70-80% in countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and the USA. Ideally, a country needs 1.3 km of firer per capita to ensure good fabrication. India’s fibre km average is just 0.09 compared to 1.35 in Japan, 1.3 in China, and 1.34 in the US.”

“We also need to consider the restriction on large-scale fibreisation due to the Right of Way (RoW) rules. The variations in cost/km of fibre laid are extremely high which sometimes becomes unviable for MNOs. In addition to these, since telcos will deploy 5G on virtualised RANs, and deploy edge computing capabilities, the backhaul also has to improve,” Mahapatra adds.

More such issues stop 5G’s deployment traction. It is important to note that Standalone (SA) 5G is different from Non-SA 5G. The former is unrestricted by the limits of the prior generation of telecommunications technology, but the latter hinges on already-existing 4G infrastructure.

While fibre tarmac matters a lot, we cannot ignore two big technical issues here that will play out once the fabric is in place: network and technology interoperability. “As 5G technology evolves and different vendors introduce their solutions, ensuring seamless interoperability between diverse networks and technologies becomes crucial for enterprises.

“Private Mobile Networks should be seen as a medium-term opportunity that will gain momentum as the market matures with deployment, applications, and devices.”- Pulkit Pandey, Principal Analyst, Gartner

One of the primary challenges lies in integrating 5G networks with existing infrastructure and systems. Enterprises often have legacy technologies and networks in place, which need to coexist and interoperate with the new 5G infrastructure. Achieving compatibility and smooth interoperability between these systems can be complex and time-consuming, requiring careful planning and coordination,” points out Praveen Cherian, CEO, STL Global Services.

Interoperability challenges can hinder network integration and innovation, limiting effectiveness. The lack of 5G specifications and standards creates compatibility and consistency issues among vendors and equipment, causing deployment complexities and delays. Previous generation limitations, like outdated infrastructure, may require upgrades to fully leverage 5G capabilities.

Truly. The tech tar of 5G is still not fully ready, both at the individual level and at the level of standards and industry.

Tushar Agnihotri, Country Head – India and Regional Head – APAC, Route Mobile Limited argues that with the availability of such high-speed connectivity, organisations will need to upgrade to technologies that support 5G. “Customer service standards will also rise with 5G and customers will prefer to interact with brands that adopt the evolving tech, efficiently”.

“5G Networks are not entirely ready for 3GPP use cases like Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (uRLLC), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), and Vehicle-to-everything (V2X), which support stringent low latency, high reliability, high-density QoS parameters. Cross-domain orchestration across the networks required for Network Slicing is still a challenge and evolving technology. 5G deployments in the telco cloud for 5G enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) are still stabilising, with Site Reliability complexity and monitoring taking precedence,” tells Kuljesh Puri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – IBM Alliance, Communications, Media and Product Business, Persistent Systems.

Dr Rahul Shrestha, Associate Professor, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, IIT Mandi reminds us of some other challenges for the 5G network deployment, especially regulatory ones. “Like deployment of small and macro cells, streamlining the regulatory approval for small cell equipment is also important. Furthermore, securing sufficient suitable sites with power and backhaul is another challenge.”

Zooming out: The country and enterprise angle

Specific to India, there are issues like infrastructure requirements, spectrum availability, and regulatory considerations, underlines Cherian. “Recently, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has decided against giving spectrum directly to enterprises for captive private networks. Instead, enterprises can lease spectrum from telecom operators. This will allow enterprises to have access to 5G spectrum and also help to ensure that spectrum is used efficiently and that security and privacy concerns are addressed.”

“We need to consider the restriction on large-scale fibreisation due to the RoW rules; the variations in cost/km of fibre laid are extremely high.”- Biswajeet Mahapatra, Principal Analyst, Forrester

“With the availability of high-speed connectivity, organisations will also need to upgrade to technologies that support 5G.”- Tushar Agnihotri, Country Head – India and Regional Head – APAC, Route Mobile Limited

Also, factors such as compliance, network coverage and complexity, and the lack of control pose potential hurdles, making it difficult for enterprises to tailor the technology to their specific needs. “One particular challenge arises from the possibility of being tied to a long-term contract with a telecom operator when leasing spectrum. This contractual arrangement may restrict enterprises from switching to a different provider if they are dissatisfied with the service, creating a sense of limitation,” Cherian dissects.

Even on the enterprise side, or maybe more on this side, many hurdles interrupt the fast-lane drive of 5G.

Pulkit Pandey, Principal Analyst at Gartner is particularly excited about Private Mobile Networks as one of the key areas of interest for enterprises. “However, there are certain factors, such as complexity and long process that act as roadblocks. One needs to go through an exhaustive decision-making process, as a high number of Business Units (BUs) and accordingly, stakeholders are involved in the process. Additionally, the 5G ecosystem is still immature and thus slows down the process of adoption. Overall, Private Mobile Networks should be seen as a medium-term opportunity, which will gain market momentum as the market matures with deployment, applications and devices.”

Cherian dismisses the idea that these issues are limited to a particular country or industry. “They transcend borders and industries. These challenges may arise from factors such as infrastructure readiness, regulatory frameworks, and market dynamics.”

But the challenges do change as per different formats like Private LTE, Edge Outposts, SA vs. non-SA architectures and non-fibreised areas. “Yes, the deployment challenges for these formats differ from that of traditional 5G deployments.” Cherian avers.

“For Private LTE, challenges include spectrum availability, licensing, and network security within the private environment. Edge Outposts require addressing power, cooling, connectivity, and optimising data transfer between edge and core networks. SA and non-SA architectures have different infrastructure requirements and capabilities. Non-fibreised areas pose connectivity challenges without fibre-optic infrastructure. Overall, these formats present unique challenges that enterprises must tackle during 5G deployment,” he explains.

There are many other issues like spectrum, telco infra inadequacy, lack of 5G specs and standards, millimetre wave band, previous generation limitations and network density. Ask Cherian and he concedes that these problems significantly impact 5G network deployment and effectiveness. “Spectrum availability is critical for network capacity and performance. Inadequate spectrum allocation or management can cause congestion, slower speeds, and reduced capacity. Telco infrastructure adequacy is vital to support increased demands. Upgrading and expanding existing infrastructure is necessary for handling higher data volumes and ensuring reliable service.”

The lack of 5G specifications and standards creates compatibility issues among vendors and equipment, causing deployment complexities and delays.

“5G deployments in the telco cloud for 5G enhanced mobile broadband are still stabilising, with Site Reliability complexity and monitoring taking precedence.”- Kuljesh Puri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – IBM Alliance, Communications, Media and Product Business, Persistent Systems

What can be done right is more expansive than what is gone wrong. We should be embracing automation to scale up the deployment, strengthening rural connectivity, and focusing on skill development and workforce training, especially for managing, maintaining, and troubleshooting the complex infrastructure.

“The telecom and allied sectors are projected to experience a significant increase in demand for technology talent. Estimates indicate a rise of 15-20% in the coming year, with an even more remarkable surge of 25-30% expected in the current year,” Cherian highlights.

Manish Vyas, President, Communications, Media and Entertainment Business, and CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra shares how recently the company announced that it would work with a large German-based telecom operator to develop 5G use cases. “Tech Mahindra’s 5G Enterprise provides a range of services that can enable enterprises to establish their private wireless networks to span wide areas of operations and enable a plethora of IoT use cases. These use-cases range from industry 4.0 floor-to-floor automation, to control of autonomous trucks in open cast mines, to logistics and warehousing, to electricity distribution grids, to venue services amongst others,” he says.

The yellow sign of work-in-progress

It has just been a few months: India’s operators launched 5G in October 2022. So, when Open Signal published an examination of real-world 5G experience across 22 telecom circles of India and its major cities around March 2023, it was good to see that there has been a significant uplift in users’ experience with 5G compared to 4G. Average download speeds across the circles were between 12.2 to 26.2 times faster with 5G (video experience was 19.9-32.4% better, and games experience about 14-44.4%). 5G users in half of India’s telecom circles spend over 20% of the time with an active signal. Looks like there is a lot of potential for improving the mobile network experience for users in both urban and peri-urban India. The study, however, tells that a lot of work needs to be done to ensure widespread availability and consistent performance across all regions.

And that has to be done because 5G would unleash a lot of never-before benefits when it hits the ground. “Getting real-time information about fish pool location, dynamic monitoring of fishes, and improving safety by accurate local weather prediction is critical in the fishing industry in India which has a huge coastline. 5G enabled-crop monitoring helps in determining the soil characteristics, which helps determine the right amount of water, minerals and fertilisers required. 5G will help improve agriculture production, reduce waste, and conserve the environment,” shares Mahapatra as just one example of the revolution we can unlock.

Puri adds that 5G will greatly benefit enterprises such as airports, seaports, public utilities, Smart Cities IOT, hospitals and ambulance systems, industrial operations at manufacturing plants, and many more.

Gupta reminds us how 5G offers benefits like faster installation, which helps businesses in a new location go live immediately which is great especially when you have challenges getting wired lines.

It will take a lot of priority work, skill, tools and some real grit to finish this tarmac as soon as we can. More so as 5G could be as much of a tech runway as a fashion runway. The ‘new and hot’ in technology will happen here and no prizes for guessing who will enjoy it the most. Those in the front row.

By Pratima Harigunani

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in