4G in name only: data needles stutter in ‘grey spots’ in India

4G in name only: data needles stutter in ‘grey spots’ in India

Subject : Science and technology

Section:

Concept :

• As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), from September 2022, the three main telecom providers in India classify almost 95% of their customer base as “broadband” customers, which now means that they should be able to access Internet speeds of minimum 2 Mbps.
• The Government in India has revised the minimum broadband speed definition from 512 Kbps to 2 Mbps
• Broadband speeds below 2 Mbps are not sufficient for video calls, streaming video and many other services.
• However, in the country, high speed broadband speeds are taken for granted in large cities whereas there are villages without any 4G network coverage.
• Besides these two categories there are smaller urban settlements and towns which are affected due to weak connectivity.
• White spots are those places without cellular connectivity.
• Grey spots are areas that are connected but may not let users get enough out of their access.
• The users in these towns, despite having 4G network towers, struggle to get usable Internet speeds mainly because of the shortage of towers i.e. these towers cannot handle high traffic due to high number of users.
• According to the data released by Ookla in December 2022, the mean wireless Internet speed in India was 108.86 Mbps, while the median was just 25.29 Mbps.
  • Mean Speed: indicates the internet speed an average user usually gets.
  • Median Speed: midpoint of the fastest and slowest connections.
• This huge difference between the mean and median shows that there is huge inequality in the quality of access.

What is Broadband?

• Broadband refers to various high-capacity transmission technologies that transmit data, voice, and video across long distances and at high speeds.
• Common mediums of transmission include coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, and radio waves.
• Broadband is always connected and removes the need for dial-up.
• There are six main types of broadband technologies: digital subscriber line (DSL), cable modem, fiber, wireless, satellite, and broadband over power lines (BPL).
• The bulk of Internet users (92.6%) across the globe access broadband through their mobile phones.
• Its importance is far-reaching; it allows for high-quality and quick access to information, teleconferencing, data transmission, and more in various capacities, including healthcare, education, and technological development.