India must ensure early availability of 6GHz band spectrum for 5G growth and 6G: Ericsson Global CTO

6G technology

Erik Ekudden, the global technology chief of Ericsson, believes India needs to act quickly to make spectrum in the 6 GHz band available to support the growing data requirements on 5G and 6G networks in future.

Ekudden also suggested that telecom operators in India and around the world should consider integrating satellite technology into their overall coverage strategies. He described satellite technology as a complementary resource rather than a competing one.

His comment came on the back of Indian telcos asking the government to assign the 6 GHz band (6,425-7,125 MHz) for IMT or commercial mobile services in India and incorporate it into the National Frequency Allocation Plan (NFAP) to support 5G growth in the country.

“The 6Ghz band is very important along with existing sub-6 GHz bands. As you go to 5G and 6G, you need to be able to re-use these bands. Just like we do today, combining with carrier aggregation, 700 MHz band or 850, or 900 MHz band, with the higher bands of 3-5 GHz, that's the same thing that we need to continue to do because low band gives better indoor coverage and better uplink performance. The mid-band provides the capacity,” Ekudden told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interaction.

Asked if the government and the telecom regulator are on the right technology path to align with global advancements, he said, “There is always more to do because this is where regulators can listen to the telecom industry and also learn from other leading industries and regions in the world.”

CTO, Ericsson

The global telecommunication industry has started identifying new bands for the 6G technology, especially in the cmWave (Centimeter wave) spectrum. “The world is exploring new bands in centimetre wave, that's 7-15 GHz,” he said, adding that the frequency range of 7-15 GHz promises to combine good coverage, especially at the lower edge, with reasonably large bandwidths.

On the satellite versus terrestrial debate, the top technology executive at Ericson said that satellites are becoming complementary components to terrestrial networks, and the industry is developing standards that will allow the deployment of terrestrial networks and satellites under 3GPP Release 17.

"This means you can build chipsets and devices with the same technology over terrestrial access and satellite. Many operators worldwide are looking at that for ocean coverage, rural places, etc. So, it's already a part of the agenda for operators," he said. "But then there are several existing legacy systems or proprietary systems, and we certainly favour standardised technology. It's important that operator look at this as a part of their strategy going forward, a complimentary but still a part."

A battle is underway at telecom regulator Trai's consultations between Indian private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea and global satellite communication players, including Starlink and Amazon. Discussions are on, and some Indian telecom operators have shown concerns regarding the need for a level playing field between terrestrial and satellite services.

The clash centres on the method of allocation and pricing of satellite spectrum, which is essential for providing broadband services from space. The regulator is expected to develop its recommendations on this by mid-December.

Ericsson is also increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enable telcos to save significant opex, especially regarding tower energy consumption.

“With our AI-embedded radio products, around 20-25 percent energy reductions are achievable. AI, combined with energy-efficient hardware, will help reduce energy consumption, including diesel use. Solar solutions are also being integrated into base stations,” he said.

Ericsson recently formed a joint venture with a dozen telecom operators, including Reliance Jio and Airtel, to sell network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) globally. The move is set to open up the next frontier in app development. The newly formed company will allow apps created through the APIs to work anywhere and on any network, it said.

With its network APIs offering, Ericsson expects India to be a hub for innovation in healthcare, financial services, and remote education. “India has always been important. It's more than just the talent and the software industry that has been flourishing in India for a long time. Because of the strength of the 5G networks here in India, which are platforms for innovation, which allows, through network API, any developer to build applications could be starting here in India,” Ekudden said.

The company is committed to growing its R&D efforts here, especially in AI and software development, he added.