India cannot afford to miss the 5G bus: Manoj Sinha

Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson announced that it established a Centre of Excellence and Innovation Lab for 5G in the country at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

"India cannot afford to miss the 5G bus. It is of strategic importance to us," Communications Minister Manoj Sinha today said.

He said: "The 5G 'Center of Excellence' supports the government's plans to foster a robust and vibrant 5G ecosystem in the country.

"We want India to be an active participant in the design, development, and manufacturing of 5G-based technologies, products, and apps, he further said.

"We need the entire ecosystem to work together to make 5G a reality in India over the next 2-3 years, he added.

"I would like to urge the industry, academia, students, and start-ups to leverage the Ericsson Innovation Lab to develop new 5G-based apps and business models that could potentially lead to better agricultural yields, better healthcare, smarter cities, more efficient manufacturing and enhanced lifestyles," Sinha emphasized.

Borje Ekholm, President, and CEO of Ericsson said that the company is leading 5G standardization globally.

"We would like to unleash the creativity and innovation of the Indian industry, academia and entrepreneurs to fully leverage and make 5G a reality in India," he added.

As per Ericsson 5G enabled digitization revenue potential in India will be $27.3 billion by 2026.

The Indian operators can generate additional revenue of $ 13 Billion or half of the stated potential if they take up roles beyond being Connectivity and infrastructure providers to become service enablers and service creators, the company said.

Some of the 5G use cases that could be implemented using the unique features of 5G technology include industrial control and automation, autonomous driving, safety and traffic efficiency services, hospital applications and medical data management amongst others.