5G and Beyond: Growth in India is inevitable says Airtel CTO

At the Voice&Data 5G+ conference,  Randeep Singh Sekhon, the Chief Technical Officer & Network Director at Bharti Airtel Limited, shared his thoughts on the rapid widespread of 5G technology and its impact on consumer behavior and enterprise development. He emphasised how India had the fastest in launch of 5G worldwide, while evolving constantly, still retains certain core concepts.

He said, I believe the event and its theme—"Igniting Innovation, Empowering Entrepreneurship, and Driving Growth"—are very appropriate. As mentioned earlier, India has witnessed an unprecedented rollout of 5G. Nearly all urban areas in India are now covered by 5G, and even many rural regions have access to it. In fact, India's 5G speeds rank among the top in the world. The number of people using 5G devices is growing rapidly; by rough estimates, there are around 200-250 million people in India with 5G-enabled devices, which places the country among the leaders in technological adoption. 

He further added, this is a remarkable shift from the past, when India was often considered a laggard in terms of technology. For instance, we launched 2G networks four to five years after the rest of the world, and similarly, we were late to roll out 3G and 4G. However, with 5G, India is among the fastest in terms of geographical coverage, second only to China.

He also discussed innovation. I believe "Igniting Innovation" is the right focus. When 4G was first introduced in India, there was uncertainty about what we would actually do with all that speed. Back in the 3G days, we mostly relied on MMS, SMS, and basic internet services. But with 4G, a wave of innovation swept across the world, and India became a mass adopter. Unfortunately, while we adopted these technologies, we didn't contribute much in terms of creating global innovations ourselves.

For example, we never imagined consuming entertainment the way we do today. Whether it’s watching live cricket on our phones during a commute or streaming immense content via OTT platforms at home, it’s all now possible due to 4G. I remember during the 3G era, I would carry my music on a thumb drive. Now, with platforms like music streaming services, you can listen to any song you want, thanks to 4G technology. E-commerce has also flourished, from large online shopping platforms to even grocery shopping—all powered by widespread connectivity.

One innovation I am particularly proud of as an Indian is the UPI platform. It is a revolutionary Indian innovation that has changed the way we make payments. Nowadays, none of us carry cash anymore. Even when we do carry some cash, we end up using QR codes for payments instead. This entire digital payment ecosystem was made possible by the connectivity infrastructure around us, starting with 4G.

He also reflected on the shift from 4G to 5G, saying it is important to understand that 5G isn’t just about higher speeds. In fact, there are a few capabilities that 5G offers which 4G does not. One of the key features I believe will be widely used is network slicing. This allows for creating different levels of service quality, whether it’s based on speed, latency, or capacity. You can think of it like having an exclusive ambulance lane on a highway—reserved for those who need it, ensuring high-priority service. This is something 4G simply cannot offer.

Another critical advancement with 5G is low latency. While 4G also offers lower latency, 5G takes it to the next level, which will be crucial for future applications. Additionally, 5G will enable high concurrency for IoT devices. Although IoT adoption is still in its early stages in India, we are already seeing connected electrical and gas meters, and soon, water meters will also be integrated. This will allow us to manage resources more efficiently. With 5G, we’ll see a massive increase in the number of IoT devices that can connect simultaneously, far beyond what 4G can handle.

He expressed that now is the perfect time for us to innovate. We already have 5G services running, and it’s up to entrepreneurs to find innovative ways to utilize them. I fully support the theme of today’s event, as we need Indian entrepreneurs to step up and create new use cases. It is our role, as telecom operators and technology partners, to support them—helping bring their ideas to proof of concept and then scaling them.

Lastly, growth in India is inevitable. If one has a good idea, people will adopt it quickly. What we need now is to generate those good ideas. There has been some concern around 5G monetization, and while it hasn’t fully materialized yet, I’d like to share a few thoughts. India is still a data-starved nation in terms of wireless data usage. There are around 200-250 million people who are still not using data in a significant way. Many are using 2G only for voice calls or very minimal data services. We need a huge capacity boost to bring these users into the data ecosystem, and that capacity will come from 5G.

The 4G spectrum is already fully utilized, and we don't have additional spectrum to support the growing demand. But with 5G, we have the opportunity to meet this demand and bring India to the forefront of the digital world.