5G shift: Kerala mulls incentives for innovations, IT sector upbeat about new avenues

Kochi: It has been two months since 5G services were rolled out in Kerala. Though the state is yet to get its benefits fully, the IT sector is upbeat about the opportunities the fifth generation network is expected to bring in, in the near future.

The state government, meanwhile, is mulling incentives for entities which are ready to jump on the 5G bandwagon, in a bid to cash in on the potential of the imminent technology shift.

IT parks in the state are in the path of making themselves ‘5G ready’ while the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has initiated a process to identify companies that work in sectors which find the higher-bandwidth essential.

Proposed incentives
The state government is considering providing incentives to potential players on the 5G field, including service providers, entrepreneurs and innovators.

The IT department has submitted a detailed proposal on this to the higher authorities. The proposal, according to sources in the government, targets three category. They are service providers, companies which are going to use the 5G technology and those creating new technologies over 5G.

The incentives within each category could be financial or non-financial. “The support could be in the form of grants, subsidies, capital or revenue. We want more technical and software companies to build up more products.

We want Kerala to become a hub for creation of newer technologies based out of 5G,” an official said. At the moment only a few big telecom companies are providing 5G. The state government wants smaller companies also to be providers of the technology.

The proposal targets academia, industries and startups. The package proposes incentives only for companies that are based in Kerala. A final decision on the package is yet to be made.

With the 5G rollout, the state startup mission is sensing huge opportunities for potential founders who can innovate in the fields which demand faster data transfer. “Low latency applications are one area which can hugely benefit from 5G networks.

Advanced surgeries, traffic surveillance and people surveillance in sensitive facilities etc are areas that could be benefited from 5G,” Anoop Ambika, CEO, KSUM, told Onmanorama.

Low latency is the ability of a computing system or network to provide responses with minimal delay.

Infopark awaits in-building solution

The state-owned Infoparks are readying themselves to embrace the 5G shift at the earliest. “Infopark is on the path of making its main hub '5G ready'. At Infopark Kochi Phase 1, Jio 5G tower has been activated in Athulya building, where major companies including EY and ThinkPalm operate from.

In two months time, it will be activated in Thapasya and Vismaya buildings. However, these buildings will see uninterrupted coverage only after the deployment of 5G capable in-building solution (IBS), which is expected to be completed in three months.

Meanwhile, Infopark Kochi Phase 2 can enjoy 5G services shortly as the infrastructure is almost completed, Susanth Kurunthil, chief executive officer, Infoparks Kerala, told Onmanorama.

Private players confident
Prominent private players in the IT sector have exuded confidence that the 5G rollout is set to create new business and job opportunities.

“The 5G initiative further enhances Kerala's IT and telecom infrastructure and ability to handle advanced IoT projects, including the opportunity to take on outsourced businesses.

The accessibility of 5G networks will accelerate the pace of digitization at grass-root levels and open many doors for cross-industry partnerships - we can expect that the launch of 5G services across Kerala will create several new job opportunities across various industries as well,” Binu Jacob, CEO and managing director, Experion Technologies, said.

Jacob said his Technopark-based global IT solutions company is planning to focus deeply on telemedicine, AR/VR, Spatial Computing, and Smart Technology by leveraging the enhanced opportunities that 5G will bring.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 5G services provided by Jio in Kerala’s Kochi city and Guruvayur temple premises in December.

The company then launched the services in Thiruvananthapuram, Malappuram, Kottayam, Palakkad and Kannur also. Jio, in a release said, it has invested over Rs 6,000 crore for deploying the 5G network in the state. Airtel has also rolled out 5G in major cities of the state.

The central government has already stated that 5G services will unleash new economic opportunities for the country.

"The rollout of 5G services can unleash new economic opportunities and help the country leapfrog the traditional barriers to development, spur innovations by startups and business enterprises, and advance the 'Digital India' vision," according to the Economic Survey 2022-23, which was tabled in Parliament last month.