Context
Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated the country’s first 5G testbed that will enable start-ups and industry players to test their products locally, thereby reducing dependence on facilities abroad.
- India’s own 5G standard, 5Gi, was a source of great pride for the country and that it will play a significant role in delivering 5G technology to the country’s villages.
Key-points
- The 5G testbed was created as a collaboration project between eight institutes, led by IIT Madras.
- In the absence of a 5G testbed, startups and other industry players were required to go abroad to test and validate their products for installation in a 5G network.
- IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER), and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology were among the other institutions involved in the research.
- India is targeting the rollout of a 6G telecom network, which will provide ultra-high-speed internet connectivity, by the end of the decade.
- India currently has 3G and 4G telecom networks and companies are gearing up to launch 5G.
- The 5G technology will bring positive change in the governance of the country, ease of living, and ease of doing business.
- It will boost growth in agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and logistics.
What is 5Gi?
- The 5G Radio Interface Technology, called 5Gi is a locally designed telecommunication network that has been designed by IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras and the Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology.
- The technology will be an alternative to the global 5G standards.
- 5Gi offers more range at a lower frequency, which is the opposite of 5G. The latter works between the 700 MHz to 52,000 MHz bands and sacrifices on range.
