Today, close to 98% of India’s 1.2 billion total telecom subscriptions are for wireless services, according to TRAI. Recent investment in India’s 4G/LTE infrastructure, and the resulting wider availability of data services, has spurred massive growth in bandwidth demand in the country.

The bulk of today’s cutthroat competition for connectivity in India is around smartphones accessing 4G – with service providers and enterprises alike battling for market share. But the confluence of 5G, AI and IoT will create monetization opportunities for network operators, in the form of new services.

5G, AI and IoT are often considered to go hand-in-hand to form an intelligent connectivity trifecta, because:

  • As IoT proliferates, it will rely on the blanket geographic coverage that 5G promises.
  • Applications dependent on ultra-low latency, such as autonomous vehicles, will only become pervasive once 5G does.
  • AI can be used to process a large amount of network and service state data to decide suitable optimal configurations in less time, integral to operating 5G and IoT networks.

To meet the dynamic needs of 5G- and AI- powered IoT, networks must be more predictive, agile, and able to rapidly scale to move massive amounts of data in real time.

    Ultra- Low Latency and High Reliability Requires Infrastructures that Adapt

    To meet the dynamic needs of 5G- and AI- powered IoT, networks must be more predictive, agile, and able to rapidly scale to move massive amounts of data in real time.

    Ciena’s vision for a self-learning, self-optimizing communications infrastructure is known as the Adaptive Network™. This end-state for networks utilizes a unique combination of real-time analytics, intelligent automation, and a programmable infrastructure – to rapidly scale, self-configure, and self-optimize by constantly assessing network pressures and demands.

    With India’s exponential data growth and plans for 5G trials this year, we’re seeing operators explore scalable infrastructures that can dynamically keep up with ever-changing user needs, including:

    • Airtel selected Ciena to overhaul its legacy network and add new spectrum and fiber to expand network capacity, improve service quality, and put in place a future-ready network for 5G.
    • Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ciena to prepare its network for the impending evolution toward 5G. Ciena’s 5G Network Solutions add scale and network automation to support a new age of mobile connectivity in BSNL.
    • Jio and Ciena have entered in partnership to deploy Transport SDN architecture. This will enable Jio to achieve service agility at unprecedented scale, with the highest level of quality of experience across Enterprise and FTTx. The new network framework will also give Jio more flexibility in launching new services and faster time-to-market. 

    Together with Ciena, Monetize the Connect

    India is poised to have the best economic growth of all countries globally. And this growth will only be possible with the right Digital India infrastructure, which will be built on innovations in connectivity. Ciena has had a presence in India for more than 15 years with offices in Gurgaon and Mumbai, and we are continuously expanding our R&D facility in India. In fact, India holds the second largest R&D site for Ciena and second largest location for Ciena in the world.