In the twenty-first century, the telecommunication industry is witnessing tremendous growth. Starting with the first generation, now the fourth generation (4G) spectrum is in use. The fifth generation (5G) spectrum will soon be available.
The central government recently conducted the 5G spectrum auction. Out of which, the spectrum was auctioned to Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and Adani for Rs 1,50,173 crore. Reliance Jio, owned by industrialist Mukesh Ambani, received spectrum worth Rs 88,078 crore.
Bharti Airtel auctioned spectrum worth Rs 43,084 crore. Vodafone-Idea bought spectrum for Rs 18,784 crore and Adani for Rs 212 crore.
All telecom companies are taking steps to roll out 5G spectrum as soon as possible. According to reports, they will be used in major cities in the first phase and then gradually reach villages.
Jio has announced that it will provide 5G services in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata from Diwali onwards. Meanwhile, talks about 6G have also started. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that 6G technology will be introduced in the country by 2030.
As the transition from 4G to 5G begins, let’s take a look at the key pros and cons of 5G spectrum technology.
Pros
high speed
The performance of mobile phones etc. will be faster with 5G technology than 4G. Images, videos, music collections etc. can be downloaded in seconds. As the internet becomes faster, the performance of automated machines, robots, etc. will also improve.
Fast data sharing
Artificial intelligence, virtual technology, etc. will perform much better in 5G than in 4G. Searching for data on the internet is also very easy. There will be no delay in it. Through 5G technology, data can be shared from one place to another very fast.
More data manipulation
Compared to 4G spectrum, 5G spectrum can handle about 100 times more data. Due to this, the performance of mobile phones, laptops, computers etc. will improve. The efficiency of the web service will also improve.
High bandwidth
As the bandwidth of 5G is higher, more data can be shared in less time. So the speed of internet service will increase.
Innovation will improve
Drones and sensor-based applications continue to grow. The advent of 5G spectrum will further strengthen the technological innovation environment. Technology-based solutions to various problems faced by people are easily found.
The need for telecom towers will decrease
The 4G spectrum is based on telecommunication towers. A large number of towers of different companies in a particular location slows down the speed of internet service. 5G radio equipment can be mounted on street lamp posts. Therefore, the speed of internet service will increase.
Disadvantages
Short distance
Compared to 4G spectrum, 5G spectrum will travel shorter distances. Buildings, trees, rain, etc. are likely to slow down the speed of 5G waves. Due to this, there will be a situation where the devices providing 5G spectrum will have to be installed in more places.
Upload speed is slow
Although various data can be downloaded in less time using 5G spectrum, it takes longer time to upload the data to the Internet. Upload speed is limited to 100 megabytes (MB) per second.
Battery drain
Experts say that the 5G wave will quickly reduce the battery capacity of mobile phones. It is said that due to this, the life of the battery will decrease and there may be a situation where the handset needs to be changed more often.
Therefore, experts emphasize that it is necessary for mobile phone companies to engage in measures to improve the capacity of the battery in line with 5G technology.
Cyber Crimes
As the bandwidth of 5G spectrum is high, it is easy to steal data from it. Due to this the number of cyber crimes is likely to increase. Experts warn that since 5G will be able to connect to multiple devices at the same time, it will be easier to steal data from them.
Experts also suggest that telecom companies may have to make additional investments to put in place security measures to prevent such data theft.
Excessive spending
As 5G equipment will need to be installed on a larger scale, it will increase investment and costs for telcos. Experts say that the maintenance cost of 5G equipment will also be high. Customers will also need to purchase a new 5G enabled smartphone to avail 5G service.
Uneven growth
5G technology will initially be used only in cities. Experts say that it will take many more years for the technology to reach all the villages in the country. Such an environment is likely to widen the rural-urban gap.
Compiler: Surend Ravi