It has been almost two years since
Bharti Airtel launched 4G services in
India. Launch of the fourth-
generation of mobile
telecommunications had come at a
time when 3G was still in its nascent
stage. While 3G coverage has grown
significantly, 4G seems far from
becoming mainstream. Though Airtel
has rolled out 4G in some more
circles, other telecom operators such
as Aircel, Videocon Telecom and
Reliance Jio are likely to launch
their 4G services around year-end or
starting next year. Deployment of 4G
network in India is certainly not
going to be easy as the telecom
operators face the challenge to
launch a new network along with
improving the existing 2G and 3G
networks in the country.
Multiple frequencies
One of the major challenges is the
usage of multiple frequencies for
rolling out LTE. While co-existence of
all radios/spectrum is always
possible, it also means that the
mobile phone makers need to add
support for more radios, which may
lead to more costs or complexities. A
standard usage of 4G frequency will
simplify things for the operators as
well as the hardware manufacturers.
Airtel currently offers 4G for mobile
on 2300 MHz LTE and it plans to roll
out high-speed 4G networks in
various circles using FD-LTE
(frequency division LTE) technology
in the 1,800 MHz band along with
its existing TD-LTE (time division
LTE) rollout in the 2,300 MHz band,
giving it a pan-India 4G footprint.
Even as 2,300 MHz is gaining
momentum, the 1800 MHz is
considered to be a more "global"
spectrum for 4G network. Currently,
the 1,800-MHz spectrum is being
used to offer only 2G voice services
in India but with the government
liberalizing spectrum, operators have
the option to deploy 4G network on
the 1,800 MHz band as well.
Telecom operators, however, will
need more spectrum from 1,800
MHz to provide smoother LTE service.
Around 108 operators have launched
4G services on 1800 MHz band in 58
nations. 4G on 1800 MHz covers 44
percent of total LTE networks
globally. It requires 30 percent
lesser towers than on 2,300 MHz.
Similarly, 700MHz and 850MHz
bands are considered good for LTE
deployment as they offer lower
frequency and propagation losses
are less. Unlike 1,800 MHz, these
bands lack an eco-system and may
require a few more years.
LTE India 2014 holds a detailed
discussion on status and future of
LTE network in India
Price and Smartphones
One of the main reasons behind
slower adoption of 3G was its steep
pricing. 4G faces the same
challenge. India is a price-sensitive
market. Operators have been wooing
customers with low-cost tariff plans
for both data and voice. Brief price
wars have helped increase 3G
adoption in the country. For 4G,
operators will have to launch
customized plans for Indian
customers.
However, it is going to be really
difficult for the telcos as they reel
under pressure to maintain their
margins as they pay spectrum costs.
“The challenge for telecom service
provider in the coming years would
be to provide one Rupee per Gigabit
over 100 Mbps by 2020 to everyone”,
says Mr. Vipin Tyagi, Director &
Member of Board, Centre for
Development of Telematics (C-DOT)
while addressing LTE India 2014
conference in Delhi. Users would
expect digital action in real time in
their daily work and play.
Indigenous research development
like GPON technology by C-DOT has
reduced costs.
“LTE deployment is slowly picking up
in the Indian market and we are
now neck-to-neck with the global
market. While India was almost 10
years late with 2G and almost Six (6)
years late with 3G as compared to
the global market,” adds Mr. Ranjan
Sharma, Director Technical &
Commercial, ZTE Telecom India.
Speaking of smartphones, right now
there are very few smartphones that
support LTE. 4G adoption is likely to
get another boost from the low-cost/
budget smartphones supporting the
network. Smartphones bundled with
data plans can also help drive LTE
adoption.
Quality of service
The Indian telecom operators have
always struggled to deliver quality.
Not that they aren't making efforts,
but catering to such a huge
customer-base hasn't been easy.
Data coverage has a lot of (arguably)
discrepancy across the country.
There have been some improvements
over the years, though operators
need to improve the existing 2G and
3G coverage and services along with
the deployment of the new 4G
network.
Moreover, LTE is set to create "data
avalanche" as customers are
expected to consume heavy data
content such as videos, games and
stream content. Operators need to
brace up to deliver hassle-free
services to customers.
Applications / Content
As in the case with 3G, customers
tend to consume more content
online if given faster and smoother
data network. There's been a
significant growth in consumption of
videos, especially on the mobile
platform.
According to a recent survey
conducted by Vuclip, about 62% of
Indian respondents prefer to view
movies or TV serials instead of short
movie clips on their phones. At 79%,
this preference for long form content
is extremely high among the age
group of 18 years and under.
Additionally, 89% of all respondents
say they would watch their favorite
movie on their mobile phones if it
was made available. If divided
further by gender, 90% of male
respondents and 84% of female
respondents from India say that
they would view their favorite film
via mobile.
With 4G, consumption of online
videos is likely to grow. Moreover,
streaming of HD videos (and perhaps
4K content as well) is going to put a
huge stress on the LTE network – for
which telcos need to be prepared.
Ericsson India in its outlook for
India's broadband segment
points out that every app has its
own requirements depending on the
network performance. Operators can
customize or prioritize the
consumer’s experience for certain
apps.
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