Indian consumers are ready to pay a premium for 5G: Nitin Bansal, MD India & head Networks, Southeast Asia, Oceania & India, Ericsson – The…

With definitive timelines of the spectrum auctions, India is on the brink of realising the 5G potential, says Nitin Bansal, managing director, India & head Networks, Southeast Asia, Oceania & India, Ericsson. 5G being an innovation platform, the technology will instigate industrial digitalisation beyond consumer-specific use-cases. Industries like manufacturing, ports, mining, airports, and energy will be the early adopters of the technology which will enable them to drive better business performance. Private networks will be the way ahead to drive these digital transformations, Bansal tells Sudhir Chowdhary as he discusses the 5G potential for Indian consumers and enterprises. Excerpts:

What is the potential that 5G will bring for Indian consumers and enterprises?

From a consumer perspective, there is high interest for 5G in India with consumers willing to pay a premium for the new 5G capabilities. Our Consumer Lab study states at least 40 million smartphone users in India could take up 5G in the first year of 5G being made available with consumers willing to pay a premium for 5G plans with bundled digital services. In fact, Indian users have shown the biggest rise in their intention to upgrade globally according to our study with 67% wanting to take up 5G once it is available, an increase of 14% points over 2019. Further, the Nov 2021 edition of Ericsson Mobility Report reveals that 5G will represent around 39% of mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2027, estimated at about 500 million subscriptions.

On the enterprise front, Ericssons report on 5G for business forecasts that the industrial digitalisation market for service providers could grow to $700 billion by 2030 with the estimated number for India being $17 billion.

What are some 5G use-cases consumers will be able to see?

While enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) are expected to be the early use-cases of 5G, the Indian consumers will see many more use cases of the technology in the coming years including:

Cloud gaming: Globally, 5G- ready users are already spending more time on video content and multiplayer mobile gaming, spending 1.5 hours more per week on enhanced video (4K, 360-degree, live streaming) and 1 hour more per week on playing multiplayer online games as compared to 4G users. In India, 60% of the smartphone users plan to use XR applications over 5G network daily in 5 years time and will spend 7.5-8 hours per week (as per an Ericsson report).

Live sports: 5G enabled sports is amongst the top predicted revenue drivers. A spectator will be able to get an even more immersive experience using 5G-enabled stadiums, 5G network slicing, 5G enabled cameras and virtual transmission centres.

Enhanced video: In this era of binge-watching, video content is the most significant traffic type generated by smartphone users. The rapid increase in data traffic for video is a result of increasing video formats/content and high viewing time and consumption.

How will private networks benefit Indian enterprises?

Private networks will enable Indian enterprises to pursue their journey towards Industry 4.0 which requires a high-performance communications foundation that is reliable and secure. Private networks are the preferred way to power digital transformation by connecting devices, industrial sites, and augmenting workers.

How has been the deployment experience in other markets?

Ericsson has an established global 5G leadership with 170 5G commercial agreements worldwide and 109 live 5G networks. Some of the global implementations include: Ericsson has partnered with Telstra, an Australian telecommunications company to offer an industrial wireless connectivity platform for enterprise that can deliver low latency, enhanced resiliency, and the capacity.

From the mining segment, Telia in Sweden will build and manage a dedicated local 5G-ready mobile network for mining company Boliden at Aitik, the worlds most efficient open-pit copper mine located in the north of Sweden. Carrying out drilling and blasting using automation showed an annual EUR 2.5 million net saving for the Aitik mine alone.

In the manufacturing segment, Telefnica, Ericsson and Mercedes-Benz are building the worlds first 5G mobile network for automobile production in Germany.

Our own 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas, has been recognised by the World Economic Forum as a global front runner in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

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Indian consumers are ready to pay a premium for 5G: Nitin Bansal, MD India & head Networks, Southeast Asia, Oceania & India, Ericsson - The...