Digital infrastructure and the promise of 5G

The conclusion of 5G auctions marks the start of a transformative journey

With the government’s successful completion of its 5G spectrum auction, India is laying the groundwork for an era of greater connectivity, social advancement, and commercial and economic growth. Spectrum has always been the lifeblood of the wireless industry, and tower companies are looking forward to supporting their customers’ 5G network deployments across India.

The conclusion of 5G auctions marks the start of a transformative journey. The fifth generation of wireless networks will dramatically change how we live, work, and play while creating tremendous new possibilities across numerous industries. With an extensive portfolio of communications real estate, tower infrastructure companies will play a key role in India’s digital transformation and support carriers in providing ubiquitous low-latency wireless data capabilities for the benefit of Indian society. 

Infrastructure and the Benefits of 5G

In the last 30 years, macro tower sites have underpinned the evolution of wireless networks from 1G to 4G. We believe this will continue to be the case with 5G. Macro towers remain by far the most cost-effective, RF-efficient network engineering option and are also optimally located to help deliver coverage and capacity for hundreds of millions of people. Importantly, the neutral host model allows multiple carriers to house their equipment on the same tower site, helping to optimize capital efficiency while also minimizing the environmental footprint of wireless networks. 

Future 5G networks will immediately improve the performance of today’s wireless services by providing higher access speeds, lower latency, and more system capacity. Millisecond level latency will enable devices to communicate with each other in near-real time and make remote medical procedures, drone applications, augmented reality, smart cities, and control of hazardous machinery, among many other use cases, possible on a larger scale.

The resulting surge in usage and demand will necessitate the construction of more new communications sites as well as the expansion of existing ones. The carriers are focused on both coverage and capacity needs to build out their 4G networks.  India already has over 7,00,000 towers and 1,00,000 small cells deployed commercially. According to DIPA, the need for network densification for 5G will entail the deployment of nearly half a million small cells over the next three years. 

The Transition to 5G Will Take Time

As with previous generations, it will take time to realize the true breadth of innovation capable on 5G networks. A typical network technology cycle lasts 15-20 years, with multiple network technologies in use simultaneously. 4G will coexist with 5G for many years, with 5G gradually taking share as it develops.

Expansion of tower sites, greater densification, smaller towers, small cells, in-building solutions, fiber to tower, managed rooftops, and services that speed network deployment will all be required for a successful 5G rollout. 

The tower industry is strategically positioned to support customers in India’s 5G rollout. Together, the tower industry can contribute to the Digital India vision of a more digitally empowered society and help shape this next generational improvement in wireless networks.