Playing the 5G balancing act

While adoption of 5G is inevitable, the intricate relation between human, machine, and data can only be determined by how we control and use it

- PIYALI GUHA

While a lot has been talked about 5G and its applications, not much debate has happened on its impact on human beings, its environment and the relationship that they will be sharing with the machine that is expected to see through everything data. In one of the most exciting dialogue on Creating the 5G Balance for Human, Machine & Data at the Voice&Data 20th Telecom Leadership Forum the speakers deliberated on the future trends and how it will impact the society at large. The Fireside Chat was moderated by Pradeep Gupta, Chairman, CyberMedia Group.

Welcoming the speakers, Gupta raised the point that though the industry has been talking about the benefits of 5G and its applications, it has barely touched upon what needs to be done to create the important balance between man and machine.

Responding to his question on whether the industry has fully exploited the potential of 4G before jumping on to the 5G bandwagon, and the new things that are expected with 5G, TV Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum (BIF) cited example from the 1990s when 2G was crafted as a GSM standard in 1992-93.

“2G came in beautifully and quietly, without much ado or fanfare and became the dominant standard. On the other hand, 3G came in with a lot of hype but resulted in disappointment. The launch of 4G was again very quiet, especially in India but it enabled broadband penetration at a large scale,” he said.