5G telecom standards: the ping-pong of lobbying to begin

The semi-finals for Indian 5G standards begin next week in Geneva. Lobbying is on to delay its inclusion as vendors fear a mandatory implementation in India without a good business case. Chip makers like MediaTek, Qualcomm, Huawei may have hedged their bets though

For the last 2-3 years, India is trying to include its regional 5G standard into the global standards, IMT-2020, which roll out later this year

Like a ping pong ball it is being pushed from international body to another. It’s last and final chance before the window closes is later this month

Vendors, ready with their 5G offerings, don’t want any additional standard to follow, claiming it makes no business case

Still some of them have incorporated the Indian tech. Question is, will they get a chance to activate it?

If the 5G in telecommunications was a five-act play, the first act unfolded two years ago when US President Donald Trump rallied the developed world around banning Huawei Technologies, especially its 5G tech.

The second act is being enacted now as countries permit, one by one, the Chinese telecoms vendor to supply its 5G gear for the new network roll-out, pilot or otherwise. In December 2019, India allowed Huawei to participate in 5G trials, too.

However, this act has a sub-plot to it. And it’s playing out within the closed doors of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in Delhi.

AUTHOR

Seema Singh

Seema has over two decades of experience in journalism. Before starting The Ken, Seema wrote “Myth Breaker: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and the Story of Indian Biotech”, published by HarperCollins in May 2016. Prior to that, she was a senior editor and bureau chief for Bangalore with Forbes India, and before that she wrote for Mint. Seema has written for numerous international publications like IEEE-Spectrum, New Scientist, Cell and Newsweek. Seema is a Knight Science Journalism Fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MacArthur Foundation Research Grantee.

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