How Reliance Jio 5G speed test details leaked, offering 8 times faster download speed than 4G

In 2020, smartphone brands started the trend of offering 5G devices to offer users future-ready phones and to lead the highly competitive Indian smartphone market. In 2021, we saw most of the companies selling their phones in the name of 5G. But, the real question is, where is 5G, and when will India get it? How long will it take? Around 60 countries in the world are already running commercial 5G networks, but India is still behind.

Interestingly, India took six years to adopt 3G and four years for 4G. While it might have taken longer to move to these, it is being said that 5G will be adopted pretty quickly.

So, when will India get 5G?

DoT recently confirmed that 13 cities in India would get 5G services this year. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Jamnagar, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow and Gandhinagar. The 5G trials were initially conducted at these places, which is why people who are based in these places will first get 5G.

Now, you might ask when. Well, it is not clear yet. But Charu Paliwal, a Counterpoint Research Analyst, believes that the 5G services could be rolled out by the end of this year as the 5G auction has been delayed to mid-2022.

The auction of the 5G spectrum is still pending, and if the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) receives the 5G pricing recommendations and other consultation matters in March this year, then the 5G auction may take place in July-August, as per reports. If this happens, then one can expect the rollout of 5G services by the end of 2022; however, this will only be limited to a small consumer segment.

The analyst told India Today that initially, people would see 5G launch in selected urban areas metros and big cities. But, "network expansion to other parts of the country will take another couple of years." She also asserts that "5G will see a rapid rollout, unlike 4G, wherein the services were launched in a few cities, and it took a new entrant (Jio) for operators to expand nationwide."

But, “to extend ubiquitous 5G network connectivity in India, it is important to provision street infrastructure i.e., small cells and in-buildings solutions or fiber, and ensure smooth implementation of rules under the ‘Right of way’ policy,” Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India said.

There are still a lot of challenges that India will face in 2022 before the rollout of 5G. For example, Paliwal says, "making spectrum affordable, rationalizing regulatory levies like USOF and SUC to ease cash flow concerns, low fibre footprint (which can impact service delivery) and under-developed domestic hardware manufacturing (important in view of the ban on Chinese vendors)" are some of the biggest challenges for a smooth 5G launch in India.

5G prices could be similar to 4G

The analyst asserts that the prices of 5G might not be lower than 4G, considering the recent tariff hikes and operators aiming for an ARPU of Rs 300 per month. "They are expected to be similar to 4G prices to attract more subscribers and encourage upgrades. However, operators will eventually add a premium once the network has wide coverage and established data speeds," Paliwal said.

Interestingly, an Ericsson report titled 'Five Ways to a Better 5G' reveals that users in India are ready to pay 50 per cent more for 5G plans with bundled digital services, compared to just 10 per cent premium for 5G connectivity. So it will be interesting to see how these telecom operators will encourage people to shift to 5G and establish it more broadly.