Why in the news?

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has called for inputs from telecom companies and other industry experts on the sale and use of radio frequency spectrum over the next 10 years, including the 5G bands.

What is 5G? 

• 5G is the 5th generation mobile network. 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices.
• 5G is the latest upgrade in the long-term evolution (4G LTE) mobile broadband networks. It comprises 3 sets of bands – low, mid and high frequency spectrum.

Low frequency band

• It has large coverage and is used by people (commercial cellphone users). 
• Its highest speed is limited to 100 mbps.
• It is not useful to industries with specific needs.

Mid frequency band

• It offers higher speeds compared to the low band, but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals.
• This band is useful for industries and specialised factory units for building captive networks that can be moulded into the needs of that particular industry.

High frequency band

• It has the highest speed of all the three bands, but has extremely limited coverage and signal penetration strength.
• The speed may go upto 20Gbps.

Enhanced mobile broadband

• In addition to making our smartphones better, 5G mobile technology can usher in new immersive experiences such as Virtual reality (VR) and Augmented reality (AR) with faster, more uniform data rates, lower latency, and lower cost-per-bit.

Mission-critical communications

• 5G can enable new services that can transform industries with ultra-reliable, available, low-latency links like remote control of critical infrastructure, vehicles, and medical procedures.

Massive IoT

• 5G is meant to seamlessly connect a massive number of embedded sensors in virtually everything through the ability to scale down in data rates, power, and mobility—providing extremely lean and low-cost connectivity solutions.

What is the status of 5G in India?

• India promised in 2018 that it will welcome 5G as soon as possible.
• But still India has clear road maps to telecom players regarding spectrum allocation and 5G frequency bands.

References:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-5g-and-how-prepared-is-india-to-adapt-to-this-tech-7150641/
2. https://venturebeat.com/2019/12/10/the-definitive-guide-to-5g-low-mid-and-high-band-speeds/