Across India, ambitious telecom providers like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have begun to make transformative changes to the country’s existing infrastructure.
To expand 5G coverage, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, these operators are driving extensive rollout projects to help the country move beyond its current 4G reliance and enter a new age of cellular connectivity.
Why Are Telcos Moving to 5G in India?
The advantages of full 5G coverage are clear. India has approximately 1.12 billion active cellular mobile connections, and 5G users typically consume 2-3 times more data than 4G users.
With the majority of citizens on pre-paid or affordable data plans offered by telcos to generate further mobile usage, upgrading to 5G presents a profitable venture for these businesses.
As of late 2023, India’s mobile density stood at 82.54%, making it one of the world’s largest telecom markets per subscriber base. Looking further, India is also expected to become a major player in the global data center market in the coming years, with capacity expected to double by 2030.
With approximately $14.63 billion USD invested in data center infrastructure since 2020, operators find themselves under immense pressure to scale their networks to meet the increasing demand driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G.
What Makes These Rollouts Challenging?
The sheer size of the country means an unprecedented number of fiber rollouts to support the necessary backhaul for optimal 5G connectivity.
As Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can easily obtain licences to dig up telco infrastructure, there are a number of ISPs now leading the charge causing these projects to all commence at the same time.
This has resulted in significant disruption, with roads and streets being dug up at a rapid rate. The longer these rollouts take, the greater the inconvenience for citizens, leading to more criticism of both ISPs and local governments for approving these projects.
How Does ProLabs Support 5G Rollout Projects?
To speed up the rollout process while ensuring optimal connectivity for the future, Indian service providers can rely on ProLabs’ cost-effective and OEM-compatible solutions.
Cost-Effectiveness: Our products are often up to 70% more affordable than their OEM counterparts, allowing telcos to reinvest those savings into additional network coverage or enhancing service quality.
Interoperability and Reliability: ProLabs components are rigorously tested for both performance and interoperability across multiple OEMs, including those popular in India, such as Cisco and Juniper Networks. We also conduct compliance testing within the latest OEM switches, ensuring plug-and-play integration into live networks.
Speed and Efficiency: ProLabs’ transceivers and cables support different areas of network infrastructure. We offer coherent optics for long-haul Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) applications, as well as Active Optical Cables (AOCs) and Direct Attach Cables (DACs) for optimal data center interconnects. These solutions can be rapidly deployed on a plug-and-play basis, enabling telcos to quickly scale capacity without lengthy delays–crucial for meeting and surpassing stringent rollout timelines.
Global Distribution and Local Support: Our global distribution network and support capabilities give telcos a strategic advantage. In India, we offer local sourcing and in-country support, reducing lengthy truck rolls and long wait times for components. This local presence extends to our engineering teams, who are available round-the-clock to ensure our transceivers perform as expected once implemented.
As India accelerates its 5G rollout, telecom providers face growing pressure to provide fast, reliable, and cost-effective infrastructure.
With strengths in global logistics and local support across India, ProLabs emerges as a strategic partner, offering a portfolio of rigorously tested connectivity solutions that deliver up to 70% savings compared to OEM alternatives.
Talk to one of our experts to find out how we can support your next network project.
