(This was originally posted in the ET Telecom by Muntazir Abbas)
The Indian army, navy, and air force are likely to embrace the next generation (5G) technology to bring artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned vehicles to center stage in a bid to compete with the most advanced armed forces worldwide, according to a top official.
“Armed forces also will need to migrate to 5G network considering the use of unmanned vehicles and AI in future,” Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Defence told ETTelecom, adding that, “the ministry will take necessary steps to take forward 5G connectivity with relevant use cases.”
Fifth-generation or 5G technology-driven telecom network is touted to bring low-latency communications to the mainstream with a range of enterprise-wide use cases across agriculture, manufacturing, and retail verticals in addition to defense applications.
Kumar, however added that the 5G is at a nascent stage in India yet, and no commercial deployment has taken so far in the country, while the Indian forces are keen to leverage the futuristic technologies.
In October last year, the US Department of Defense said it would spend $600 million for 5G experiments and testing at a few military sites, after increased efforts by China to make 5G a reality in many defence applications following investments in AI, quantum computing and under-sea cables.
Experts say that the move to adopt 5G technology and artificial intelligence would usher into entirely different use cases, and would eventually boost defence capabilities to pre-empt the enemy.
