EXPLAINED | PM Modi Launches 5G Testbed: What Is It? How Will It Help Companies And Consumers?

A 5G testbed will help companies test machine-to-machine 5G communication before rolling out their products commercially. But what does it mean for the end consumer?

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched India’s first 5G testbed project. Aimed to make the country’s telecom sector more self-dependent, the 5G testbed will help Indian companies test their products before launch. The Prime Minister made the announcement during the silver jubilee celebrations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). While 5G connectivity is already prevalent in several countries, including the likes of Australia, Canada, China, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the US, and the UK, it is yet to be rolled out to users in India. It is believed that the situation may change soon, thanks to the newly launched 5G testbed.

5G testbed: What is it?

In a nutshell, a 5G testbed will help companies test machine-to-machine 5G communication before rolling out their products commercially. In a testbed environment, a new 5G product tests how its network connectivity is performing in various real-world scenarios.

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IIT Madras will be leading the collaborative project. As per the institution’s website, the testbed comprises “5G BS and UE nodes” which help support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-low latency communication (URLLC), and massive MTC including NB IoT services. The institution also said that the operating frequency will include both 6GHz and mmWave.

All of the above simply means that the new project has the capability to test all the nuances of 5G services before a product or service is rolled out to the public.

5G testbed: Who else is collaborating with IIT Madras?

For the 5G testbed project, IIT Madras has collaborated with IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER), and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT).

5G testbed: How much did the project cost? Where will it operate?

The 5g testbed project has been developed at a cost of over Rs 220 crores. It will be functional at five different locations.

5G testbed: Does India really need a testbed?

The short answer is, yes. Without a 5G testbed, industry outfits were only able to test and validate their products or services at facilities outside India. With the new indigenous testbed, companies can cut a considerable amount of time and money to test heir products before rolling them out to customers.

5G testbed: How will it affect a regular consumer?

Since having an indigenous testbed will help in reducing the production costs for companies, it can safely be speculated that it will bring down the costs of services for the end consumer. For now, we will have to wait and see how the 5g testbed actually helps as companies start rolling out their 5G offerings in the coming months.