Pathak says 5G deployment is just about to start after spectrum auction
The Technology Development Board (TDB) has agreed to provide financial assistance of Rs.2.97 crores, out of the total project cost of Rs.19.79 crores, to Bengaluru-based Astrome Technologies for Productization and Commercialization of ‘GigaMesh Solution for delivery of 4G/5G Telecom and Internet services for Defence and Rural Sectors’.
This assistance is to solve ‘Internet Woes of Rural India’, said TDB, a statutory body of Department of Science & Technology, which has been instrumental in development of a conducive start up ecosystem by promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in India.
Fibre-like capacity is needed at every telecom site but deploying the same at each site is not feasible, due to cost and access related constraints, Ministry of Science & Technology on the development of GigaMesh.
“As 5G deployment happens, the number of cell sites will increase and each cell site will require multi-Gbps throughputs. Therefore, telecom deployment in suburban and rural areas will require wireless products that can deliver both capacity and range,” the Ministry said on 23 July 2022. TDB comes under the Ministry.
“To cater this, Astrome has come up with GigaMesh, a first E-band radio that features Multiple-Point-to-Point (Multi-P2P) communication offering lower capital expenditure (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx).”
In addition, the device can provide up to 40 links with 2+ Gbps capacity each, communicating up to a range of 10-kilometers. This flexibility in range makes it suitable for both decongesting the dense urban networks as well as extending rural coverage. The device is also capable of making the existing infrastructure 5G ready.
“This revolutionary approach to high-speed multiple point-to-point (Multi-P2P) communication yields up to 6 times reduction in capital expenditure per link as compared to the state-of-the-art point-to-point (P2P) wireless solutions,” it said.
TDB IP&TAFS, Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak elaborated, “As 5G deployment is just about to start in India, after 5G spectrum auction, coupled with the fact that Telecom Service Providers and mobile network operators are facing fund crunch to meet its CapEx and OpEx requirement.
“Hence, the low-cost network solution is ‘need of the hour’. The ‘GigaMesh’ technology will go a long way to achieve the objectives of cost-effective network solutions for country like India, especially for rural area,” he said.
“We at TDB, are rightly poised to handhold such Technology start-ups.”
The Department of Telecommunication through Universal Service Obligation Fund is already implementing the world’s largest rural connecting program ‘BharatNet’ to connect 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats with optical fibre. It is being done by Special Purpose Vehicle Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). fiinews.com
