5G era is now on the threshold. In some countries, 5G has become operational and India also is soon going to be a 5G enabled country. The much-awaited 5G spectrum auction is expected to be held in May this year if the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India submits its recommendations on the rules regarding the sale process. India has shown keen interest in boosting 5G networks across India as the 5G network will be going to make a great impact on India in the immediate future.

It may be pertinent to note that a few countries are reported to have 5G networks and India's jump to this highly advanced technology will give India an advantageous position. 5G is the newest wireless networking technology that phones, smart watches, cars and who knows what else, will use in the coming days. 5G is widely believed to be smarter, faster and more efficient than 4G. It is believed that with speed up to 100 gigabits per second, 5G is set to be as much as 10 times or 100 times faster than 4G.

Once the 5G technology comes into use, consumers will be able to download data heavy content such as 8K movies and games with better graphics in just a few seconds. But the immediate problem once 5G becomes commercial is that users will be required to change their current devices in favour of 5G-enabled devices. So, smartphones now in use will have to be replaced with the 5G-enabled smartphones. But already most of the smartphone manufacturing companies have started marketing 5G-enabled smartphones and luckily the markets are now flooded with 5G-enabled smartphones.

As we have stepped into the 5G era, our country needs 5G technologies to transform India into a more vibrant country wherein the lives of the villagers as well as the urbanites will get transformed further. It may be pertinent to note that as many as 35 countries have jumped on the bandwagon of the 5G technologies and the leading countries in building and deploying 5G technology are the United States, South Korea, and China. South Korea is ahead of other countries in 5G deployment. The United States was the first country opening a high-band spectrum for the technology.

Regarding the negative impact of the 5G network, there have been several rumours of 5G being hurtful to living beings. Also, the grapevine is that 5G networks can cause tissue damage, cancer, and impair cognitive functions in humans. However, the truth is that no scientific study has proven any of the risks yet. Moreover, 5G is the much-awaited telecommunication revolution that is believed to usher in a more technological era of speed.

So, 5G continues to roll out across the world. As far as 5G technology is concerned, higher frequency bands are very important in the spectrum. Higher the frequency, faster will be the service of the network. Anyway, the 5G era will be a watershed in the technological transition and life will not be the same as ever. It will be packed with greater excitement, thrills, fun, entertainment, information etc. Undoubtedly, everyone's life and aspirations would be riveted on the 5G network once it comes into effect.

T K Nandanan, Kochi