Becoming an early adopter of 5G is likely to be difficult as India has a poor track record in rolling out new cellular technology. Second- and third-generation technologies were launched six to seven years after they were first available elsewhere, and 4G suffered a four-year delay relative to the first global users. At the end of 2016, 4G represented just 9% of total connections in India. [43]

India’s history of sluggish adoption of telecommunications technology is rooted in low investment in infrastructure development, which has made upgrades and enhancements more costly and challenging. The government recently raised import duties on some categories of telecoms equipment by 10%, both in response to the country’s current- account deficit and to encourage domestic manufacturing. However, this has added further expense to the procurement of network technology. [44] The country currently imports 90% of critical telecoms equipment, but the government is attempting to reduce this figure by tilting market conditions in favour of domestic manufacturers. [45]

As one expert noted, a large number of Indian engineers are also not equipped to work in the knowledge economy because of insufficient language, problem-solving and technical skills. Although big US technology companies tend to have a strong presence in India because of its reputation for strong (and cheap) engineering talent, there has been negligible change in the employability prospects of Indian engineering graduates in the past decade. Only a small percentage possess the skills required for working on next-generation technologies, with expert interviewees observing a particular shortage in coding. [46] Such skills are inherently multidisciplinary, requiring knowledge of computer science, mathematics, electronics and mechanical design. In order to successfully roll out 5G, India needs a greater depth of talent in two core areas: manufacturing and R&D.

Manufacturing: India wants to be able to manufacture semiconductors (a critical component in smartphones and communications technology), and to conduct the equipment assembly and testing necessary to implement 5G networks. There are also security advantages to manufacturing telecoms technology domestically. To do so requires semiconductors capable of sustaining efficient power amplification, as well as advances across hardware manufacturing. The workforce will need to be retrained to manage the various applications of 5G. [47]

Research and development: India also wants to build R&D capacity for 5G and its applications. Limited private-sector involvement and poor support for academic research, as well as a lack of engagement between these two realms, has limited industrial and R&D capacity. [48] Consequently, Indian engineers are not equipped with the right skills or resources to keep up with global competition. [49]