Internet speed is never enough. The faster you go the more speed you want. Although the main focus of the 5G network is to provide machine to machine communication, it does not stop people from hovering over it. And why wouldn’t they? All in all the 5G technology is aimed at making the life easier and more comfortable in ways one doesn’t normally think of.

5G TEST PROJECT

Under a project worth Rs 300 crore, backed by the department of telecommunications, bright minds from across five IITs in the country have come together to join hands in the development of 5G technology and its use in India.

The 4th generation of technology is almost reaching everybody in the country.now the question is what is beyond 4g? And that is – what is being discussed not only in the international forum but also in the country.
– said IIT-Madras Prof. R David Koilpillai.

To develop 5G projects and solutions, the project aims at fostering a comprehensive test-bed that can be used by telecom operators, technology companies, academics and startups for R&D purposes.

USE OF 5G TECHNOLOGY

Delivering data speeds at up to 10 times that of 4G technology, 5G will be able to do things which are not possible yet. It will foster the connectivity needed for the machine to machine communication to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) along with application in defence, agriculture, healthcare and the automobiles sector.

WHY 5G IS NEEDED FOR THE ADVANCED PROGRAM

There are emerging applications of 5G technology and some of them can only be achieved only when the internet speed is way faster than the current limit. Things like smart cities which require a lot of instruments that talk to each other are only possible over the fifth generation technology.

This would be in the category of machine talking to machine, it’s not people to people. And today’s cellular system is already full of traffic of people’s communication.
– Prof David Koilpillai.

He also added that when we talk about things like intelligent transportation, improving the flow of traffic on our highways, introducing the smart grid into the urban areas, monitoring water or electrical consumption but all of these things need a lot of communication between these devices and that will happen when we are able to connect these devices.

And today, the current cellular system do not have the capability to handle this type of traffic and so the 5th generation is going to be the opportunity for us
– said Dr Koilpillai.

5G TECHNOLOGY AND INDIA

Talking about India’s opportunity in the global market Prof David Koilpillai mentioned, “India is poised to take advantage of the internet of things and the connectivity because there are number of initiative in terms of smart city program and we see as the opportunity for India really be the player in the global market not only in the terms of technology but also the products that we will develop.”

IIT MADRA’S ROLE IN THE PROJECT UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Dr Koilpillai said:

5G is a window for us to compete globally and in recognition of that, the government has initiated a very large multi institutional project.

He mentioned that IIT Madras will be nodule point along with the centre of excellence and wireless technology so together we will not only be doing work at IIT Madras but also be coordinating the work that is happening globally.

Talking about the goals of the institute, he told that the goal is two-fold. The first step is to develop good technology and the second is to be able to take it to the global standards. Once both of these targets are achieved, the goals will be set on actually deploying the systems on the ground and making sure that the common man is able to enjoy the benefits of cellular technology much more than we enjoy today.