How 5G Lab-As-A-Service Can Accelerate 5G Innovation In India

The advent of 5G has paved the way for a digital India, fuelled by innovation and entrepreneurship. 5G technology is the next-generation wireless access technology that would have high data capacity and faster speeds. According to a recent report by NASSCOM, it is expected to contribute up to 2% towards the Indian GDP by the year 2030. This rapidly growing demand for this technology has dramatically expanded the range of radio frequencies, reliance on decentralised computing, and deployment of cloud-based computing. Also, this feature tops among the three key priorities buyers look at when purchasing a smartphone, thus reflecting increased consumer awareness and a growing market base as operators prepare for its launch.

As the world has started to embrace these technologies, various startups and technology providers are looking for quick and cohesive solutions to test their products in terms of their speed, scalability, application and output.

5G Lab-As-A-Service And Its Need

Here comes the need for 5G Lab-as-a-Service (5G LaaS) which is a unique concept wherein service providers create an automated test environment to work on product innovations that pave the way from concept to reality. It is built to provide a sandbox environment for rapid prototyping of 5G use cases. 

While this technology is the future, there are still very few players in India who have launched their state-of-art 5G LaaS which is uniquely equipped to offer holistic and rapid prototyping of new applications to enable startups, technology providers and the government to test their products/solutions in a controlled environment.

With technology like 5G LaaS, telecom and tech manufacturers can analyse, integrate and validate the performance and capabilities of their products and solutions in a real 5G network environment. These testbeds will further help in creating pre-integrated 5G solutions and products that are integral for efficient rollout not only in metro areas but also in rural and remote areas of India. In fact, the Union Minister for Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology has also recently announced plans to set up 100 5G laboratories to strengthen infrastructure and create testbeds.

Understanding The Use Cases 

The overall 5G technology transformation is more than the upgradation of smartphones. It promises a new paradigm in the telecom space. It will usher in unparalleled connectivity for smart cities, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) applications, robotics, smart machines, and industries embarking on their Industry 4.0 journey, amongst other use cases. 

For enterprises, 5G LaaS will enable the technology providers to produce private 5G communication products and solutions that will facilitate high capacity, low latency, enhanced wireless network security, and data sovereignty. Discussions around the various applications of this technology in the healthcare sector have also sparked interest across the globe. Advances expected in healthcare can open up new opportunities in telemedicine or even telesurgery, allowing remote monitoring of patients and remote collaborations in surgery with experts with the assistance of [AR/VR]. 

Furthermore, the integration of 5G in the education sector will help raise the overall standard of education in India. It will be a major vehicle to connect the unreachable, thus bridging the digital divide in the country. It will enable new learning methods and interactive experiences by offering uninterrupted coverage, better speed, low network latency, and more stable communications. It can also change the future of farming as it can aid in optimal usage of crops and livestock, realising precision agriculture, and even using 5G-powered drones for various uses in the field. 

The fifth generation has majorly transformed the global economy with its enormous capacity boost. In order to achieve our PM’s ‘Digital India’ vision and embark on the $5 Tn economy mark by 2025, 5G and 5G LaaS will act as key enablers. 5G combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will become the backbone of the industrial sector. It will be a leap towards automation and then autonomous industry processes that will offer radical benefits, including flexibility, increased productivity and predictive maintenance. However, in order to convert these new use cases into reality, these testbeds will emerge as a significant playground for industry players to test and demonstrate these new features, making India more Atmanirbhar.

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.