Focus on 5G services as ‘tool for freedom and prosperity’

NEWDELHI:US and Indian officials held discussions on 5G telecom technology, the next-generation wireless technology that is set to catapult data speeds, during US President Donald’s Trump’s twoday visit to India.

Trump, whose administration has pressured India and others to shun equipment made by Huawei Technologies Company Limited of China, said: “During our visit we discussed the importance of a secure 5G wireless network and the need for this emerging technology to be a tool for freedom, progress, prosperity, not to do anything with where it could be even conceived as a conduit for suppression and censorship.”

The US has throughout the alleging that it could be used by China to spy on other countries. Huawei has repeatedly denied the allegation, and India decided eventually to give the Chinese company a go-ahead to participate in 5G network trials .In India, Huawei is teaming up with Bharti Airtel Limited and Vodafone Idea Limited for 5G trials.

5G is the next generation of wireless technology and will boost data speeds and propel the Internet of Things, with the potential to bring radical changes in agriculture, manufacturing, health care and education.

Australia and Japan have barred Huawei, while Canada and New Zealand are likely to follow suit. Many countries in Europe are yet to take a decision, while Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have welcomed Huawei. On Monday, US Federal Communications Commission tory Authority of India chairman R.S. Sharma and telecom secretary Anshu Prakash where the officials discussed telecom spectrum issues including 5G.

Pai, who is in India as part of the US delegation, said: “We have an existing MoU with TRAI and I met chairman Sharma today and emphasized to them that our cooperative relationship has been very fruitful over the last three years and we expect it to be so.” Pai also met Prakash at the department of telecommunications. “We talked about how teledensity is progressing, what is their fiberization, which spectrum bands are they using, what they intend to do, what is the auction process, etc,” Prakash said.

“We also informed them about LMLC (low mobility large cell) which we have developed for 5G technology, this can also be used by the US, as this has a very large cell area. We are very proactive in