After the massive explosion of 4G LTE network in the country last year, Indian consumers have been looking at faster Internet connections. Responding to the concern, Ericsson has lately previewed their test bed for 5G network in India. The communication equipment manufacturer demonstrated their test bed to achieve a maximum data transmission speed of 5.75Gbps.
At the Ericsson Connect 2017 event in Mumbai, the company showcased a host of products utilising the benefits of 5G connectivity. In their live demonstration, they showcased essential technologies on the road to 5G like Gigabit LTE (1 GBPS download speeds) with License Assisted Access (LAA) technology. The LAA live demo highlighted the technology’s ability to leverage wireless network resources using higher frequency bands on a small cell architecture. Other technology innovations presented in the showcase included advancements in Radio Network Evolution, 5G Ready Transport and Network Slicing.
Ericsson showcases various 5G-ready network equipment at the Ericsson Connect 2017.
As per a just-released Ericsson 5G Business Potential Report, 5G will enable a $27 billion revenue opportunity for Indian telecom operators by 2026. The largest opportunity will be seen in sectors like manufacturing, energy and utilities followed by public safety and health sectors. This will be over and above the revenue generated from traditional services which are expected to grow up to $63 billion by 2026
Ericsson showcases various 5G-ready network equipment at the Ericsson Connect 2017.
Agriculture will open-up revenue opportunities up to $400 million for telecom operators. The application of 5G will be in areas like field monitoring and mapping, livestock routing and monitoring, on-field applications, and related services. The retail sector in India will offer potential 5G enabled revenue of up to $1.15 billion by 2026. 5G can help in revolutionising customer experience and increase operational efficiencies within the retail segment.
Magnus Ewerbring, Head of Technology Development, Strategy & Technology, Ericsson, said that when it comes to growth of the communications sector from the faster 5G technology, more and more consumers will find favour with the faster 5G network. In fact, Ericsson estimates that mobile data traffic in India will grow by 11 times by 2023. They estimate that the monthly data usage per smartphone (GB/month) in India will increase 5 times from 3.9 GB in 2017 to 18 GB by 2023. The total mobile subscriptions in the country as per the report stood at 1.185 billion in Q3 2017.
Ericsson showcases various 5G-ready network equipment at the Ericsson Connect 2017.
The Potential report also indicates that by 2023, LTE will be the most dominant telecom technology prevalent in India. It will account for more than 60 percent of the total subscriptions in the country by 2023 compared to the 12 percent LTE subscriptions in 2017. The report estimates that there will be around 800 million VoLTE subscribers in India by 2023, growing at a CAGR of 42.5 percent between 2017 and 2023.
