In India, we are all excited. 5G is knocking on the doors. It will bring new opportunities and unlock new possibilities, some of which, I am sure will change our lives forever. But are we ready? If yes, that is great news. But if not, what are the bottlenecks? What should we do to clear them? This note not only lays out these issues but tries to find optimal solutions for overcoming these. Let’s begin.
Spectrum Availability
Are we good here? My read is yes. We did a great job in releasing a sufficient spectrum for 5G. Band-wise quantum :- 2×30 MHz in 600 MHz Band, 2×25 MHz Band in 700 MHz, 330 MHz in 3.5 GHz Band, & 2850 MHz in 26 GHz Band. With 4 operators on the ground, each can get 800 MHz. Assuming is fair and equal distribution. See Figure 1 below which describes the proportion of 5G spectrum offered in the auction compared to that of 4G.
