Indian Telcos To Use Public Poles, Ad Hoardings, And Bus Shelters To Deploy 5G Small Cells

5G equipment deployment has been in full swing in India as major mobile network providers are getting ready for the launch of the 5G network across the country. While 5G is said to be faster than 4G, they are most likely to be based on the 5G NSA technology, which should help telcos to save some money during the initial phase of the 5G rollout.

Another way that Telcos can save money is by using already existing infrastructure to deploy a 5G network. According to S.P. Kochhar, Director General at Cellular Operators Association of India "Small Cells are needed for deploying 5G as opposed to earlier generations such as 4G, because of the frequency. The higher the frequency, the lower the wavelength, which means that the distance they travel is less."

He further stated that 5G will make use of the higher frequencies range between 3.3GHz to 3.6 GHz. These waves will have a maximum travel distance of 100-150 meters, while the current 4G network towers are located at 5KM apart.

Due to the shorter range of 5G frequency, a telco has to deploy "Small Cells", which are compact low-powered radio access nodes and are also known as base stations. For a good 5G network coverage, 200 small cells have to be installed per square kilometer. And these can be installed on existing public properties such as poles, ad hoardings, and even on bus shelters.

Department of Telecom (DoT) recently notified the amended Right of Way (RoW) Rules, which allows mobile network providers to make use of already existing infrastructure to deploy small cells. However, telcos have to pay a nominal amount of Rs. 150 per year and Rs. 300 per year per small cell in rural and urban areas to make use of public infrastructure.

If Telcos are planning to install their own poles, then they have to pay Rs. 1,000 per pole. As per these standards, Telcos should be able to deploy 5G small cells faster and most efficiently to fast-forward the 5G launch process in India.

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