5G: India will no longer be behind technology curve, says Trai Chief

India will no longer be behind the technology curve following the timely launch of fifth-generation or 5G networks, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman Ram Sewak Sharma said on Tuesday.

“Now, we have come to a stage where technology develops in India first. With 5G, we will no longer remain behind the technology curve,” Sharma said at the Telecom Summit 2020 organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Telecom Equipment Manufacturers Association (TEMA).

But he pointed to challenges like funds scarcity and low fibre backhaul for the deployment of the next gen technology in India.

“There are less than a third of mobile towers connected to fibre backhaul when compared to China that has more than 80% connected,” Sharma said.

He added that the telecom sector should be treated as ‘strategic’ to serve citizens and that issues such as the Right-of-Way (RoW) should be set right.

“Telecom sector should not be considered as a money-making machine for local bodies,” Sharma said.

He said some of the key features of next generation technology include low-latency communications, huge throughput and massive machine-to-machine communication.