“CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS WILL BE REWRITTEN WITH 5G”

STL is among the leading Indian companies involved in 5G technology and has set up an endto-end 5G ecosystem with its strong portfolio of optical fibres and wireless technology. ANKIT AGARWAL, Managing Director, STL tells ASHISH SINHA of BW Businessworld how STL is powering the upcoming 5G revolution and much more. Excerpts:

- ASHISH SINHA

What, according to you, is the ground reality of 5G readiness? How much has the needle moved on 5G?

So far, India has made significant progress towards 5G readiness. The telecom and technology industry are working together to build a robust ecosystem -- localisation of 5G standards, development of in-house technology and equipment for 5G and local use cases that will lead to the success of 5G in India. Equipment manufacturers and network solution companies are continuously engaging in network development and will continue even as the country awaits the availability of 5G spectrum. Telcos such as Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea have begun 5G trials.

With data consumption in India poised to reach 109 million TB in 2022, faster fiberisation is the need of the hour. Therefore, in the next one year, we can expect an accelerated rate of fiberisation to connect rural India to the upcoming 5G services. As per the National Broadband Mission, we can expect around 2 million km of optical fibre to be installed country-wide, covering 70 per cent of the nation’s towers by 2024.

The government approved 31 companies comprising 16 medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) and 15 non-MSMEs (eight domestic and seven global companies) under the telecom PLI scheme, and STL Networks is included in the MSME companies. This scheme will create global champions in the country, who have the potential to grow and scale up by using cutting-edge technology. Through this, India can penetrate global value chains.

What has been/will be STL’s role in moving the needle on 5G?