Empowering Sri Lanka with 5G
With remarking one of the greatest milestones within the 21st century, technology has taken another step in wireless telecommunications to facilitate accumulated access to information on the go with 5G technology. With the initiation of 5G technology the term “5G race” is established in international politics, reminding us of the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Therefore the read of 5G is no longer apolitical.
5G or the fifth Generation technology standards for the telecommunications broadband cellular networks after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. The service areas of 5G networks are divided into specific small geographical areas referred to as cells. Radio waves link all 5G wireless devices in an exceedingly cell to the Internet and telephone network through a local antenna within the cell. It is meant to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, improved reliability, ultra-low latency, large network capacity, increased availability, and a more consistent user experience.
It is the intended successor to the 4G networks that offer access to most existing cell phones, which cellular phone companies started introducing globally in 2019. Becoming the first country, the Republic of Korea offered 5G on the 1st of December 2008 contributing to the 4th Industry revolution which can usher and alter the economy. The FCC started designing regulations for 5G technology in July 2016, making the US the first country to open a high-band spectrum for the technology. Whilst the Republic of Korea, China, and the United States stands as the world’s leading countries in building and deploying 5G technology, even smaller countries like Sweden, Turkey, and Estonia have taken vital steps to form 5G networks commercially on the market for their citizens.
This massive breakthrough of telecommunication has created a huge impact on Sri Lanka as well. The Sri Lankan market is currently preparing to maneuver from 4G towards 5G mobile services. Several network service providers in Sri Lanka have already begun to implement this technology. In 2018 Dialog Axiata conducted South Asia’s first standards-based 5G transmission together with Huawei and Ericsson to ensure a powerful platform to support 5G network to deliver exceptional experiences for South Asians. They also collaborated with Sri Lanka Telecom and applied a field trial of pre-5G LTE technology, extending an open invitation to their customers to register their 5G devices on its 5G trial network and experience the power of 5G at several zones they have chosen in Colombo city.
Not only the Dialog Axiata, but Mobitel (Pvt) Ltd. is also another network provider in the country which is contributing to the deployment of 5G technology. Mobitel, the National Mobile Network Service Provider in Sri Lanka achieved the highest mobile 5G speed for the first time in South Asia surpassing a speed of 1.55Gbps employing a commercial 5G mobile smartphone in 2019, which is a proud achievement to all Sri Lankans.
With all of these achievements Dialog and Mobitel and a few other network providers teamed up with SLT and are aimed to take a position at $254 million in the expansion of the network. Moreover, being an active ICT service provider in Sri Lanka for 20 years, Huawei plans to deploy this technology in the country as soon as possible.
Sri Lanka is focusing on four main areas to apply 5G technology; Investment in knowledge transfer and human capital development, Introduction of latest technologies such as IoT, AI, and Cloud, Share and encourage global expertise for ICT developments, as well as provide smart city solutions.
According to the estimates of the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Facilities, if it is aided by beneficial policies, 5G technology alone could account for 10% of Sri Lanka’s entire GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2025 and generate at least 1 million job opportunities for the next few years as a South Asian emerging market. By 2030, it would have added between 8 billion to 20 billion USD to Sri Lanka’s GDP. This will also serve as a platform for driving innovation in the technological backdrop.
Recently on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka's digital footprint in almost every aspect of life grew by leaps and bounds in 2020. Almost all economic activities that do not need human presence, such as certain office works, banking, shopping, education, and so on, have migrated to the internet, which has been called the "new standard." Because of its ultra-low latency, or the time it takes for data to move from one point to another, 5G has the ability to make all of these operations, such as video conferencing, run more smoothly.
However, Sri Lanka is facing a number of challenges when technology is bringing into action. The high cost, the need for highly qualified personnel, and security issues are some of the drawbacks in acquiring 5G. Furthermore, highly sophisticated infrastructure is required to build up this network. As a result, making it available to rural areas is a problem that should be considered.
In order to reap the benefits while meeting these challenges, Sri Lanka must adopt a flexible regulatory structure that keeps up with new technologies. It is important to ensure data protection and cybersecurity to meet consumer standards. And it would also be helpful to encourage and lay a solid basis for long-term investments in communication networks. The government would be able to decide how best to achieve tangible economic benefits by working closely with industries, inventors, and regulations.
From the manufacturing process to social media, the global economy is on the verge of completely accepting an internet-based socio-economic environment. As a result, it is critical that Sri Lanka properly plans for these developments and embraces their benefits while carefully addressing concerns, rather than dismissing technology outright due to preconceived prejudices.
0 Comments