When it comes to 5G, one of the biggest things that will be talked about is network security. To keep its 5G networks secure whenever it launches commercially, Vodafone Idea (Vi) is following the 3GPP standard. Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Vodafone Idea said that Vi is following the 3GPP standard for 5G’s core network along with the firewalls. For 5Gi, Singh said that Vi is working with a few companies/partners but there are no ready products. As soon as there are 5Gi ready products, Vodafone Idea would conduct trials using that technology to find relevant use cases.
5Gi Not Supported by Industry Experts, Telcos
The telcos in the past have said that they don’t want India to become an isolated nation with 5Gi. If India wants to compete in the global markets and export standard 5G telecom equipment, it must be in line with what 3GPP recommends. With 5Gi, the cost of equipment production to network roll out along with 5G smartphones in India would increase significantly. The telecom operators have urged to both the Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to merge India’s 5Gi with the 3GPP’s global 5G standard. It would help the country achieve big scale and reduce costs. Singh had also said that Vi is ready for both 5G SA (standalone) and 5G NSA (non-standalone). The telco is likely to go with 5G NSA as it helps keep the network rollout costs low. In the trials that Vodafone Idea is conducting in Pune, Maharashtra and Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the telco has been able to achieve peak download speeds of 4.2 Gbps and upload speeds of close to 200 Mbps. Vodafone Idea is working with different vendors including Ericsson and Nokia along with multiple ecosystem partners to test the true potential of 5G. The telco has been able to unearth multiple innovative use cases of the technology already and with the trials time extended now, Vi can test 5G for even more use cases before commercial deployment.
