Data may be the new oil but there is a key difference. The former is a scarce resource; the latter’s abundance is limitless. Estimates suggest that by 2025 every day 463 exabytes of data will be generated globally. From social media to enterprises to sensors, data is multiplying. Are we ready to handle this wealth of information or will it flow down the drain?
Despite impressive strides in digitalization, in India, data management is often manual and inefficient. In the recent past, most data were collected, processed, and stored in physical format. Some organizations, especially government departments, still follow this method of data collection and distribution. Physical files travel from one office to another with no data security, efficiency, or transparency.
Today critical and effective decisions depend on data and information. In every organization, be it corporate, government or military, data flow, information flow, and the processing of both, is from bottom to top. Critical decisions are made at the top of the organization and are based on insights churned out through data analysis. The large quantity of data needs to travel fast and be analyzed – both securely and quickly.
5G and new-age technologies like AI, IoT, Machine Learning, AR, VR will change the way organizations will implement data management strategies. 5G has the potential to automate the process of data management through hybrid cloud applications like edge computing and network slicing. Referred to as ‘5G data crush’ in the industry, it will revolutionize the way we work. Data flow will not be incapacitated by latency as 5G begins offering much greater speeds than 4G.
Network slicing, a key feature of 5G, is a great tool to achieve flexibility, enabling telecom operators to deliver differential service agreements to multiple customers. While the network is built on a singular physical infrastructure, it is divided into “slices”, where each slice is an end-to-end network of its own. These slices are reserved for enhanced service delivery based on the user’s requirements.
For instance, the military can utilize the capabilities of network slicing. It provides a better, secure, and more connected network to achieve adaptability during critical missions. Slicing will enable military personnel to configure networks on the go and seamlessly connect every soldier and the bandwidth multiplies twofold. It results in a wide scope for the deployment of virtual and augmented reality instruments. As these slices operate in isolation, each of them is highly powerful to support the implementation of vehicles and drones, low-powered sensors, and moving equipment in the field.
Data analysis, a primary driver of success in a data-rich society, benefits from 5G. The low latency and high speed facilitate data analytics in the collection of a large amount of data, cleaning it, and analyzing it quickly. This will further spur new analytics technologies as well. 5G will enhance speed and help with real-time data exchange or insights. The real-time data exchange will be an important aspect for each sector.
The data storage is virtualized and distributed across the cloud in Mist, Edge, Fog, and core storage. The existing hierarchies will technically be built into 5G which offers corresponding processing power to the user. The data will then be handled where it is created from edge computing at the source.
5G technology is flexible for both flat and hierarchical organizations, which will make data management a seamless task. It will change the way we work and diverse scenarios will emerge as data security, privacy, and governance will take center stage. 360-degree data integration layers will be incorporated as the 5G movement becomes prominent. There would be the development of a converged platform that would support diverse aspects of data management. It would lead to implementing a common format and data sharing would take place in a ‘Need-based’, policy-driven manner.
India’s 5G infrastructure densification needs to happen on a grand scale in a regulated policy framework because it is expected to have a cumulative economic impact of $1 trillion by 2035. Government must take key initiatives in terms of policy and mobilizing funds as 5G is bound to be the backbone for the next generation of technology.
(The writer is Director General, COAI)
