NY Special: What if India leapfrogs to 4G?

Bhaskar Hazarika

New Delhi: India has already missed the bus to launch third-generation (3G) mobile services in the country. But this could be a blessing in disguise for the mobile operators if India leapfrogs to fourth-generation (4G). According to industry experts, Indian operators can move forward to 4G without rolling out 3G services. This could be another instance when India’s neighbour Pakistan is planning to leapfrog to 4G services.

Globally number of countries is testing 4G on the network after implementing 3G on the network. However, for India we are yet to log on to the third-generation services. Leapfrogging to 4G would prove to be a technology advantage for operators, since the 4G technology is 10 times spectral efficient compared to 3G. The 3G frequency bands identified by the ministry of communications and IT are compatible to roll out 4G services.

Joint secretary, department of telecom (DoT), JS Deepak said, “4G frequency bands or Long Term Evolution (LTE) is under consideration with DoT and Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC). The ministry is carrying out a study on the 700 MHz frequency band if it could be used for WiMax or fourth generation (4G) services.” It should be noted that the government has taken a ‘technology neutral stand’ on the spectrum to be allocated for 3G services. This could be the first initiative from the government to open a window towards the 4G space.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) version 10, which is considered to be 4G, is being designed and will be available by the end of 2010. The present day LTE under implementation is considered as 3.9G. Since the spectrum for 3G will be available for private telecom operators by August 2010, it would be the right move for India to go for 4G, as the equipments for 4G will be available by the end of 2010. Union minister for communications and IT, Andimuthu Raja clearly stated, “Allotment of spectrum to maintain level playing field will be allotted to the successful bidders by August 2010.”

According to telecom expert and former advisor of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Satyen N Gupta India should leapfrog to 4G and skip 3G, as there has been delay in the auction of spectrum. Gupta said that time is ripe for India to directly move to 4G. “Government and the regulator should be technologically agnostic while allocating spectrum. There should be no mandate that the proposed 3G spectrum should be used only to roll out 3G services. The operators should be given freedom to offer either 3G or 4G services,” Gupta said.

He said that the existing 3G frequency bands, which the government is planning to auction is compatible to offer 4G services. All the 3G frequency bands, which are under International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), can be used for 4G. The Indian government has identified frequency bands in the 1.9 GHz to 2.1 GHz for auction.

Chief corporate affairs officer, Idea Cellular, Rajat Mukarji said that moving to 4G is a desirable direction… Yes, 3G can be leapfrogged. “We have been talking about 3G for more than 3 years and may be it has lost its meaning. Moving to 4G is a logical direction. We talk about mobile broadband but we should know that it is critical for the country. From the existing 2.5G to 4G is a quantum jump, but on thing that should be noted that it will be expensive to roll out 3G services at this point,” he added.

According to ABI research, the total number of 4G subscribers worldwide, including both LTE and WiMAX, is expected to exceed 90 million in 2013.

What is 4G?

4G technology is sometimes referred as ‘MAGIC,’ --- Mobile multimedia, Anytime-anywhere, Global mobility support, Integrated wireless and Customized personal service.

4G has three major characteristics: The download speed is 100 megabytes per second; It is based on internet protocol technology; Ubiquity as it is interoperable with the lower generation technologies. The distinctive quality of 4G networks is likely to use a combination of WiMAX and WiFi. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) have identified that 4G will have data download speed of 100-mega bit per second and it is completely based on IP technology.

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