Telcos best suited to run private 5G networks: Jio, Vi executives

Telecom operators are best suited for the end-to-end deployment of private 5G networks and for managing the related infrastructure due to their years of expertise in building networks, said top executives at Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone Idea.

"We think that telcos are the best suited because we have mastered the art and the science of planning. And it's not just spectrum planning, it's complete radio planning or core planning and the lifecycle management of the device or the subscriber ecosystem," said Rochak Kapur, head, Enterprise Products & Business Operations, Vodafone Idea.

This, combined with constantly tuning the network based on requirements, is an ongoing cycle, Kapur said. "I think whoever undertakes this job needs to understand what they're getting into."

He was speaking in a panel discussion at the third edition of ETTelecom Digital Telco Summit on Friday.

"As telcos, we have been serving hundreds of thousands of enterprises. In my mind, we have met most of the requirements, and we are pretty confident that we'll continue to be able to meet the requirements of enterprises, be it with private networks, be it with public networks, or be it with the combination of both," the executive said.

Telecom carriers have the competency and skills to be able to do it much better and more efficiently than any other player, he added.

Salil Khanna, national head - enterprise & government business at Reliance Jio, said running a telecom network would not be a core activity for any of the enterprises and that it should be left to the experts. ET, in its November 18 edition, reported that more than 20 IT and infrastructure companies including Capgemini, Tata Communications, Infosys, Larsen & Toubro and Tata Power have applied for the direct allocation of 5G spectrum, in response to an exercise by the Department of Telecommunications to study demand for spectrum to set up private communication networks.