Indian Telecom Folder

[Tanaji]

I am genuinely trying to understand this: what is the indigenously developed part here? 5G specifications are defined by 3GPP which anyone can download.

Is it that they have built the software for all the entities mentioned in the specification? What about the radio?

[JTull]

Knowing specs isn't the same as having a product matching the specs.

[Tanaji]

Knowing specs isn't the same as having a product matching the specs.

Absolutely agreed, and thats the reason why there are not many players in the field. So definitely impressive. The radio bit is different though, you still need fast ASICs and power amps, hence the question.

[Najunamar]

Tanajiji, In the article on TCS’ Tejas Networks it clearly mentions the marketing of N78 5G radios in the US … https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... i=89978449

[JTull]

How indigenous is India's 5G technology?

How indigenous is India's 5G technology?
Nov 11 2022

India is taking a big leap with rolling out 5G network, after successful auctions. And the government recently said that this fifth-generation technology is indigenous. This report offers an insight.

Last month, while interacting with students at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in the United States, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the India’s 5G is not imported, it is a domestic product. Sitharaman also said that the Indian government can offer the indigenous 5G technology and infrastructure to other countries as well.

5G rollout in India
Back home, a few days before the finance minister’s US visit, the country’s Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced that over 200 cities in India will get access to 5G within six months.

A mixed bag?
And Vaishnaw may be right. Telecom companies are working on a war footing to launch pan India services. But is India’s 5G fully indigenous? Maybe not. Both Jio and Airtel have already partnered with global gear makers for the smooth rollout. Reliance Jio has inked multi-year contracts with Ericsson and Nokia to get 5G network equipment.

Under the contracts, Nokia will supply equipment from its AirScale radio portfolio, including base stations, high-capacity 5G radio antennae, and remote radio heads, while Ericsson’s 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions and E-band microwave mobile transport solutions will be deployed in the 5G network for Jio. Meanwhile, Airtel has signed 5G network agreements with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung.
A telecom network has four parts -- a radio access network, a core network, a transport network, and an interconnect network. While Jio said it will deploy a standalone 5G network, which needs a new core, Airtel is putting in place a non-standalone 5G network, leveraging the existing 4G infra. So at this point, India’s 5G infra is a mixed bag.

How far have we come?
Unlike 3G or 4G rollouts, telcos this time are not entirely depending on global vendors for equipment and instead developing their own 5G tech. For example, Jio will be using its own indigenously-built 5G core. Both Reliance and Airtel have also said they are indigenously developing the next-generation 5G stack. According to a Business Standard report, Reliance is building a 5G software stack with its own R&D team, along with its US subsidiary Radisys.

Emergence of platforms like O-RAN or Open-Radio Access Networks has helped Indian telcos to build their own 5G tech. For instance, Airtel has inked a partnership with TCS to build O-RAN-based radio, and an indigenous 5G stack. Tatas have acquired a stake in Tejas Networks, a developer and seller of networking products such as radio, which in turn has bought, Saankhya Labs, which is developing 5G software. TCS will act as a system integrator, putting the hardware and software parts together on an O-RAN platform. Airtel-Tata will likely be a win-win for both as Tatas will get to test proof of concept while Airtel will get indegenous tech.
When it comes to other home-grown telecom gear companies developing 5G tech, it is a tall order. The government brought in a PLI scheme for telecom equipment making last year. While the 31 companies, approved under the scheme, promised an investment of over Rs 3,000 crore over four years, these companies do not have any orders from operators for 5G equipment and the incentives under PLI are given only when the companies undertake production.

According to R K Bhatnagar, director general at Voice of Indian Communications Technology Enterprises, few companies that have made 5G radio design have no orders. Bhatnagar told Business Standard that domestic gear makers should concentrate on the private network market and the growing number of government contracts where the requirement for 5G equipment like radios is not so rigid or so large.
Let us hear more from N K Goyal, who represents telecom equipment manufacturers association in India, "Some companies successfully demonstrated indigenous technology which needs to be put up in trials," says Prof N K Goyal, Chairman Emeritus, TEMA. Private operators gave orders to MNCs because of the urgency of 5G launch, he says.

Complete indigeneity in 5G infra and technology is still far-fetched for India. However, there is some progress on the tech front with 5G when compared with 3G or 4G.

[chetak]

The GoI is trying to make in India the full-stack indigenous 5G network. They seem to have reached somewhere significant, per the talk by @AshwiniVaishnaw, that is what he was saying

WATCH VIDEO

so they seem to have slipped the deadline by a bit, but the Tata's are going at it hammer and tongs

lets wait for more details to emerge, but rest assured that neither @AshwiniVaishnaw nor the Tata group is given to talking through their hat

C-DoT developed the 5G core and RAN for the state-owned telco BSNL

The state-owned R&D firm is also developing 5G antennas to complete the 5G stack and reduce India’s dependence on foreign network equipment providers

With this, India will join China, South Korea, the US, Sweden and Finland to become a telecom gear manufacturer

Homegrown 5G telecom gear, including core and radio components, could be commercially available by March 2023, per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The development could make India a global competitor on the telecom gear front.

https://www.rcrwireless.com/20221109/5g ... -next-year

November 9, 2022

The Indian government believes that locally designed and developed 5G gear, including core and radio network components, could be commercially available by March 2023.

“The processes will take an extra three to four months. So, I potentially feel that by March next year, it (C-DoT) will be in a position to actually commercialise both radio and core equipment,” K Rajaraman, secretary at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), told local newspaper The Economic Times.

“The launch (5G core) has happened. We are working with some companies to actually get the radios ready, because that’s where full stack comes in as it has to include radio and other components,” Rajaraman added.

Last month, the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), a state-run telecom research and development firm, unveiled a locally-produced Nonstandalone (NSA) 5G core and together with radio access network partners—Reliance Industries-owned Radisys India, VVDN Technologies and WiSig Networks—demonstrated a 5G call on the indigenous network to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

C-DoT, as part of a local consortium leaded by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), is deploying the 5G NSA core equipment in state-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam’s (BSNL) proof-of-concept (PoC) network in Chandigarh. BSNL aims to launch 5G next year.

Indian operators are initially relying on equipment provided by vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung as Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE had been barred from participating in India’s 5G rollout.

https://www.bqprime.com/business/tejas- ... 5g-network

Tejas Networks Gets Rs 7,500 Crore TCS Order For BSNL 4G/5G Network Tejas Networks has received a purchase order from TCS to supply equipment for 100,000 sites of BSNL’s 4G/5G network.


17 Aug 2023

As part of this contract, the telecom equipment maker will supply its Radio Access Network, or RAN, equipment for 1 lakh sites BSNL’s pan-India 4G/5G network, according to an exchange filing on Tuesday. The project will be executed through 2024. The company won this order after the successful completion of trials as part of a consortium led by TCS.“Our state-of-the-art 4G/5G RAN products were subjected to rigorous field testing by BSNL for nearly 18 months before being chosen for this large-scale commercial deployment,” Chief Technology Officer Kumar N Sivarajan, said in a statement

The order is significant, as it comes a little over a year after Panatone Finvest Ltd., a subsidiary of Tata Sons Pvt. Ltd., acquired Tejas Networks. In the meantime, the government approved for BSNL a third revival package, including allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to the state-run telecom operator. The deal will enable BSNL to roll out a scalable and cost-effective network that meets world-class performance and quality standards, Anand Athreya, chief executive officer at Tejas Networks, said in the statement. “This also furthers our mission to create India’s first global-scale telecom and networking products company with an end-to-end suite of wireless and wireline offerings,” he said.

[bala]

5G launched last year. Bharat is emerging as a major design, manufacturing and export hub for telecom equipment. This was unthinkable few years back and today, because of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's very good focus, clear vision, country Bharat has emerged as a major telecom manufacturing and design hub.

A very complex manufacturing process has got inaugurated today. Most of the complex machines will be operated by Indian young girls who have been trained in this complex manufacturing process.

[Ashokk]

India Aims To Replace Chinese Technology In African Telecom Networks

Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), a government-owned company, is reportedly planning to upgrade legacy telecom networks in Angola, Gambia, and Mauritius.

The plan involves replacing Chinese telecom gears with Indian technology in order to modernize the legacy networks in these African countries.

TCIL has completed a market survey for the three African countries and is ready to provide a converged core that can deliver both fixed and mobile services, as well as operate the backbone network.

"It will be in the interest of their telecom operators and public where Indian experience and technology can deliver services to these countries at a very low cost," TCIL chairman Sanjeev Kumar was quoted as saying by ETTelecom.

This comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi -led government is placing a strong emphasis on utilising domestically-developed technology as part of its vision for an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India).

Chinese companies have a strong foothold in the African market.

"They have actually had their network deployed since the last few years and most of these countries do not have enough capex to upgrade their network to 4G and 5G, and are only offering 2G or 3G services," Kumar added.

Following the G-20 Summit, New Delhi has expressed its support for the 'Rip and Replace' programme initiated by Washington. This program enables American companies to remove telecom network equipment produced by Chinese companies, with a specific focus on Huawei and ZTE.

In June 2021, the Centre introduced a trusted telecom portal as part of a national security directive. This directive mandates that Indian telecom service operators must exclusively use network equipment from authentic sources.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-owned telecom carrier, has begun implementing 4G technology using a core network developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) and radio equipment provided by Bengaluru-based Tejas Networks, which is owned by Tata Sons.

India reportedly aims to capitalise locally-developed technology as a part of its long-standing ambition following BSNL 4G network, and TCIL's move may offer a gateway to India's homegrown companies which had no takers lately in the absence of technology proveness.

India's communications minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has recently said that by next year, India has the potential to be a global exporter of telecom technology.

Mauritius has reportedly agreed to TCIL's proposal to conduct a proof-of-concept (PoC) on one of its islands, which has a population of approximately 25,000, according to a top official cited in the ET report.

"We will start the PoC by putting three br transceiver stations (BTS) for 4G, a hybrid optical line terminal (OLT) with a converged core from C-DoT and one E-band radio from Astra, so that it becomes an end-to-end network using Indian technology," the official added.

Tata's Tejas Networks will be using RAN and hybrid OLT for the PoC, and it will be collaborating with their counterparts in Mauritius to share technical tasks and equipment details in the coming weeks.

"Compared to the other two countries, Mauritius has a more developed market, and Mauritius Telecom has agreed to do a PoC for 4G services including converged core. Mauritius can become a stepping stone and an entry point for India to deploy its technology in foreign markets," Kumar added.

The state-controlled telecom engineering firm is expecting to penetrate the overseas markets in the next six months.

Meanwhile, Angola Telecom has planned to enhance its backbone transmission network through a 10-year private-public partnership (PPP). Additionally, Gambia and Mauritius were looking to upgrade their telecom infrastructure to incorporate 4G-5G technology.

The proposed technology upgrade received strong support from both Gamtel and Gamcel management. They reportedly recommended that the government accept TCIL's strategy.

An official stated that the Indian public-sector company plans to upgrade Angola's backbone network by installing additional transceiver stations. They also plan to utilise the fixed high-speed broadband capability of 5G to provide fixed wireless and data services.

C-DoT, led by Rajkumar Upadhyay, is currently working on developing its own 5G telecom equipment. This equipment is expected to be deployed within the BSNL network in the coming months. Additionally, C-DoT anticipates a global demand for its 5G telecom gear.

BSNL plans to launch 4G services in December, utilizing Indian technology. The company also plans to upgrade to 5G services by mid-2024.

[bala]

The Story of Naya connected bharat by mantriji Ashwini Vaishnaw

Broadband connectivity and optical fibre connections all throughout India and nearby islands like Lakshwadeep, Andamans is the goal. 5G all throughout India is another goal. All 5G equipment are made in India, some are exported to Europe and US. With optical fibre 1600 Giga Bits per sec bandwidth is the goal.

BTW fibre optic brain/pioneer is an Indian Narinder Singh Kapany

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brFQZ2fREbs

[sanman]

Starlink is coming to India