5G auction is unlikely to happen before 2021: Murugesan R, MD, 3C3 India

India’s structured cabling market is witnessing an upsurge in demand with the rising data consumption and the ever-expanding data centers.

Also, the rapid adoption of structured cabling by enterprises, emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, rising demand for higher bandwidth, and swift digitization are all resulting in a notable demand for sophisticated telecom cabling equipment.

India’s very own structured cabling company with a palindromic name 3C3 India Private Limited – which functions on three core product deployment services, i.e. Communications, Core & Connections – is creating an impact and is placing its products to suit the demand-filled telecom equipment market.

Speaking with industry veteran Murugesan R, who recently joined hands with 3C3 India Private Limited as a Promoter and took charge as its Managing Director, Voice&Data understands on how the company meets the demand in today’s telecom market and also on how India is positioned in its 5G preparedness.

Few excerpts:

Voice&Data (V&D):  The demand for advanced fiber optics over the years has changed or rather evolved to meet new standards. Can you explain this evolution and how 3C3 services its customers to meet this demand?

Murugesan: The journey of communication systems has undergone radical changes throughout the years. Mobile Radio Technology was used in the early 20th century, which was a key for the then military communications. Advancements in communication technology majorly focused on critical aspects of information transfer such as – the speed of transfer, the volume of information, the distance at which the information is to be transferred, and security aspects during the information transfer. With the introduction of the speed component, a paradigm shift took place in the wireless communication technology, parallel to address these requirements.

With the introduction of the speed component, a paradigm shift took place in the wireless communication technology, parallel to address these requirements.

Optical fibers represent the brick to build up the new "highways", connecting continents through the oceans and making possible simultaneous communications among millions of people with a transmission rate of tens of millions of Mbps. Optical fibers carry almost the totality of traffic data, making the satellites play a marginal role.

The 5^th era of mobility is considered as a business & technology convergence for 2020. 5G includes significantly faster speeds (a minimum of 1 Gbps and perhaps up to 10 Gbps) plus lower power requirements to better support huge numbers of new IoT devices.  It will have capabilities to provide faster dialing speeds, multiple device connectivity, higher data speeds just to name a few.

3C3 India Private Limited has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bangalore with its own full-fledged R&D set up for product development as per the industry standards. The turnaround time from concept to finished product is much faster than many of the players in the market. Our manufacturing lines are quick in adapting changes to make the products and deliver on time.

V&D: As India looks to tap 5G, how is 3C3 going to help India in this effort?

Murugesan: 5G is a much anticipated next-gen communication technology. To be a part of India’s 5G journey, 3C3 India is well-advanced and has started developing products and solutions which are the core for telecom providers.

Telcos have already begun to revamp their network infrastructure to be 5G-ready.

Telcos have already begun to revamp their network infrastructure to be 5G-ready. Keeping the upcoming technology on top-of-the-mind, we have been prepared since 2013 and have also manufactured high-end fiber connectivity solutions to support the 5G journey.

V&D: What are the current trends in the Indian telecom market and what type of cabling is best suited to meet the trend?

Murugesan: Indian telecom industry has witnessed major consolidation in the last 7 years with the number of operators decreasing from 16 to 4. Telecom debt is in excess of $50 billion on the three major operators. With 5G already rolled out in patches, major global deployments are expected to commence in 2020.

As per initial estimates, India was expected to follow the suit with rollout targets from 2020. 5G spectrum auctions have been held twice without any bidders mainly due to higher base price and also inadequate spectrum bands had been offered. Additionally, the Coronavirus pandemic has delayed the auction due to the lockdown. Thus, it can be expected that the 5G auction is unlikely to happen before 2021.

The Coronavirus pandemic has delayed the auction due to the lockdown. Thus, it can be expected that the 5G auction is unlikely to happen before 2021.

COVID-19 also brought us into a new normal which involves remote working, smarter workplaces, advanced e-commerce, and fintech applications. These emerging trends would definitely require high-speed bandwidth, better performance, and more reliable services.

Fiber is the cable of choice to support lower latency and higher bandwidth levels. It can improve the capacity of the communication networking infrastructure. Hence, a fiber-based communication network is the preferred option for 5G because of its scalability, security, and ability to handle the vast amount of backhaul traffic generated.

3C3 has developed cables and connectors to meet the present requirements as well as for 5G. 3C3 has developed end-to-end passive cable and connectivity solutions in the FTTX segment that is witnessing a huge demand today.

A fiber-based communication network is the preferred option for 5G because of its scalability, security, and ability to handle the vast amount of backhaul traffic generated.

V&D: With few facts and figures can you outline the growth of the fiber optics cabling and other structural equipment in India?

Murugesan: India’s Optical Fiber Cables (OFC) market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17% through 2023. Growth in the market is majorly expected to be backed by rising investments in OFC network infrastructure by the Indian government to increase internet penetration across the country, which is in line with the government’s initiatives such as Smart Cities Vision and Digital India.

Moreover, the growing demand for OFC from the IT & telecom sector, the rising number of mobile devices, increasing adoption of FTTH (Fiber to the Home) connectivity, and the surging number of data centers is anticipated to fuel the optical fiber cables market in India over the coming years.

In addition, the development of next-generation telecommunication standards is anticipated to boost the growth of the fiber optics market.

The number of smartphone users in India is estimated to reach 442 million in 2022. Thus, there would surely be an increase in demand for advanced digital content, which increases the need for an enhanced network infrastructure which can support high data speeds to manage the congestion.

To address this demand, last-mile connectivity of fiber cables is a must. Thus, the penetration of smartphones will also drive the growth of the market.

V&D: How is the company involved in improving connectivity solutions for smart city projects and also in tier II and III cities?

Murugesan: 3C3 India develops innovative products & solutions to address the new-age customer requirements. Keeping in mind the customer requirements, we offer customized products & solutions.

The company is strengthening its partner base in addition to the existing partners to penetrate into tier II and tier III cities. For this, we frequently conduct partner training programs and certified installer training programs across India, thus developing a larger partner pool.

As the Government of India is coming up with many smart city projects, we are banking on this opportunity with the advantage of being a Make in India initiative company. We are providing all the products & solutions that suit the smart city project requirements.

As the Government of India is coming up with many smart city projects, we are banking on this opportunity with the advantage of being a Make in India initiative company.

V&D: IoT is emerging as the newest solution for a number of industries. How is 3C3 placed in its product offerings?

Murugesan: The Internet of Things is changing how we live, work, travel, and do business. It is even the basis of a new industrial transformation, known as Industry 4.0, and key in the digital transformation of organizations, cities, and society overall.

The current COVID-19 crisis also boosted us to embrace IoT technology. The IoT market, which was worth $150 billion in 2019, is expected to be worth $243 billion by 2021.

The major factors driving the market growth include increasing focus on remote monitoring for the work-from-home initiative, growing adoption of smart payment technologies to minimize human contact involved in cash payments, and rising demand for wearable devices. 

IoT is an essential driver for customer-facing innovation, data-driven optimization and automation, digital transformation, R&D, and entirely new applications, business models, and revenue streams across all sectors. 3C3 India offers a wide range of cabling services that support the emerging IoT devices like PoE cables & Connectors and PoE components.

V&D: PM Narendra Modi has brought out Make in India and Make for World plans. How is 3C3 positioned to contribute and help realize these plans laid down by the PM?

Murugesan: 3C3 India is a Make in India initiative and is one of the fastest-growing structured cabling manufacturers in India, having its state-of-the-art production facility in Bengaluru. 3C3 India provides a wide range of cabling products and solutions and delivers well-managed services right from designing, implementation to wiring clean-up and testing to ensure that the structured cabling is running at an optimal state.

We are planning to expand further into global markets apart from the sales offices established in Singapore and the UAE. We take pride in positioning ourselves as a Make in India brand, making products & solutions for India and for the world.