Coronavirus Outbreak Might Delay India's Plan To Deploy 5G Techology

The current Coronavirus infection has caused the postponement of a lot of things. For instance, Foxconn’s plants in China have been shut down for the time being, which might delay Apple’s plan in releasing a new budget-friendly iPhone.

India still has the outbreak under control, but the Coronavirus might have a negative effect on the deployment of 5G in the country.

According to the Economic Times, the fear over Coronavirus might slow down the production of 5G equipment, which might delay the deployment of this technology all over the world, including India.

The Indian government has made public its plan to auction 4G and 5G waves in the country in the first quarter of next year. According to the Telecom Ministry, the government will put on sale the 8,300 MHz and the 6,050 MHz is used for 5G. For now, the DoT (short for Department of Telecommunications) plans to auction the 8,300 MHz at Rs 5.23 trillion.

As the Coronavirus showing no sign of being contained, experts projected that India’s plan to auction the 5G waves would be behind schedule. The production of the necessary equipment has been delayed, which, in turn, impacts the availability of devices.

This situation and the high price of the 5G spectrum may deter many telecom companies from venturing into this new and emerging market.

According to Nitin Soni, Director, Corporates, Fitch Ratings, As Huawei takes a hit in its 5G equipment production, the Indian government might face difficulties keeping its schedule with the deployment of 5G.

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