India's 5G rollout will begin this month: Before you get thrilled, consider these three factors

The formal launch of 5G networks in India is soon to be announced by Indian telecom companies, which will provide consumers with better data rates and open up a variety of new use cases. Before the end of the month, Airtel has already stated that it will start rolling out 5G, while Reliance Jio is rumoured to be planning an announcement for this Independence Day. 

Contrary to popular belief, a telco's 5G rollout won't immediately lead to a significant shift in how we utilise mobile data services and the internet in general. Similar to the initial rollout of 4G in India, 5G services and users are expected to grow gradually there. 

Before Jio and Airtel make their official announcements, here are three things you need to know about the 5G rollout in India. 

The rising price of plans 

The cost of 5G data plans will be higher than that of 4G plans, which have already seen price increases in recent years. Although no official rates have been released, we may anticipate that Indian telecom operators would raise 5G plans to reflect the new technology and perhaps recoup some of the expenditures associated with constructing the 5G infrastructure. 

According to a recent study by Vodafone Idea's managing director and CEO, 5G contracts would give subscribers more data than 4G plans, however, this will result in higher rates. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Idea Ravinder Takkar stated during an earnings call that "we believe that 5G should be priced at a premium to 4G given the fact that a substantial amount of money has been spent on the spectrum." 

The difference in average speeds provided by 4G and 5G services, together with the increased pricing, may determine whether we witness a widespread switch to 5G networks.

No extensive coverage before 2023–2024 

Although 5G rollouts will start this month, they may initially only be available in a few Tier-I zones, such as metro areas. This is because 5G testing had already been going on in certain locations for several months. In the initial phase of its rollout, Airtel is reportedly targeting 5000 towns and cities while starting with 1000 towns and cities across the nation. 

However, complete coverage of 5G is anticipated to occur in rural locations by 2023 or 2024, delaying the wider implementation of the technology by months in Tier-II and Tier-III districts.

Heavy emphasis on 5G at sub-6 GHz 

5G networks come in two flavours: mmWave and Sub-6Ghz. Sub-6Ghz is driven by medium and low-frequency waves, whereas mmWave 5G is fueled by high-frequency waves. This is crucial in terms of speed and range. When you see the promised advantages of 5G on the internet, the data rates you are often seeing are mmWave speeds, which are far faster (about 4-5Gbps). mmWave is less than ideal for large-scale networks since it has poor range and trouble penetrating barriers. 

Sub-6GHz networks, which offer a far longer range and enable a single tower to serve more places and subsequently more people, are the current emphasis of Indian telecoms. While still being quicker than 4G, sub-6GHz 5G data speeds are substantially slower than mmWave 5G and more comparable to 4G LTE data speeds (around 200Mbps). Therefore, don't anticipate a huge difference in data speeds just yet.