Is India ready for 5G?
Is India ready for 5G?🤔
India has unlimited data, but it doesn’t matter we still rank 131 on global internet speeds.
With 5G around the corner, Is India really ready for 5G? India has unlimited data with aggressive pricing but does it matter?
Recently Jio announced that it is building a 5G network from scratch and it will be available for trials as soon as 5G spectrum is available and available for deployment in 2021.
Better speeds will do us more good than more data, and the explanation as to why that’s the case is simple - think of home much more you will be able to get done, and faster, if videos, games, pages etc. all loader faster than they do. If we look at the current scenario our ISP’S are not even able to provide us with proper 4G network.
India has unlimited data, but it doesn’t matter we rank 131 on global internet speeds.
Neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal ranked higher than India on the global internet speed index.
Unlimited data is one of the most lucrative plans that most mobile carriers offer right now in India.
In fact, so much so that we barely keep a tab on how much data we are actually consuming per day. If you just do the math, you can get 2GB of 4G data per day by spending less than $5 a month in India (about ₹370 approx). Add a little more money and you can make it 3GB of data per day at the same speed.
As a report in Gadgets Now points out, super affordable internet IS in fact one of the key highlights of India’s digital journey. However, while we may struggle to finish the 2GB or 3GB of data we are paying for on a daily basis we still, more often than not, rely on WiFi to play games and watch heavy content. This basically means one thing - there may be ample data to go around, but speed is far from optimal.
If you actually use a tool to check the speed of your mobile internet, it will all seem fast enough. But when it comes to practice, you will see the struggle when you try to play a YouTube video in 720p or 1080p.
The Ookla Speedtest Global Index points out the obvious - more data does not mean better speed.
As per reports, in September this year, India ranked 131 out of 138 in the global mobile internet speed rankings. The global average download speed is 35.26 Mbps (megabit per second), and India only gets 12.07 Mbps. The global average upload speed and latency is 11.22 Mbps and 42 ms, India comes in at 4.31 Mbps and higher latency of 52 ms.
Neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal ranked higher than India on the global index. Sri Lanka ranked 102nd with a speed of 19.95Mbps, Pakistan came in at 116th spot with 17.13 Mbps and Nepal at 117th spot with a speed of 17.12Mbps.
South Korea topped the list with an average mobile internet speed of 121.00 Mbps.
The speeds in South Korea is double the average fixed broadband speed in India, which lags at 46.47 Mbps, as per Speedtest Global Index’s September 2020 data.
4G speeds improving in India but not as quickly as it should: Ookla
Why 4G is lagging?
When large networks are over-saturated, the potential for decline in voice and data availability can increase. For example, while VoLTE is offered by Jio, Airtel and Vodafone and largely used by consumers across the country, when the capacity of the networks is stretched thin, users may experience a decline in voice quality. As 4G availability increases, so do the number of consumers owning 4G-capable handsets, and as a result these networks are strained to keep up with the increasing amount of users. The capacity and infrastructure of available networks speaks volumes to a user’s experience overall.
Networks are extremely complex entities whose performance is impacted by everything from quality of physical infrastructure to the geographical regions they are placed. India in particular has unique challenges due to both the country’s large geographic size and population. Smaller countries, like Norway or Singapore which both rank high on the Speed test Global Index, are in an advantaged position because operators are able to build out sophisticated network infrastructure for a fraction due to a smaller geographic footprint. Conversely, Indian operators are servicing an expansive land mass with a diverse set of topographical features. For instance, a mountainous region will create more frequency disruption. Rural areas too pose challenges, because they are often less connected to a developed network system due to their remote location. Indian operators need to consider all this and more in the development of national networks.
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