Jeet Banerjee, Author at Adamas University

Career as an Electronics and Communication Engineer in the 5G enabled future world

Positive Impact of 5G implementations on enhancing employability throughout the globe:

The Fifth Generation (5G) is the next-generation wireless communication technology. This most awaited technology is expected to create more than a few million jobs as well as boost the GDP to the next level. Although the Indian telecommunication division is encountering a disruptive phase in the present scenario, the unfold of 5G is expected to generate massive employment opportunities for electronics and communication engineers. According to a report by Accenture, the installation/setup procedure for this promising technology is also significant. In the United States of America alone, the telecommunication operators are looking forward to investing about $275 billion in infrastructure, which can lead to the creation of 3 million jobs and boost the GDP by $500 billion. It is predicted by economists around the world that the economic influence of 5G in the latest goods and utilities will cross $12 trillion by 2035. The 5G technology is expected to be initiated in India by 2020 (as reported by the 5G High-Level Forum) and is anticipated to create a progressive economic influence of $1 trillion (in India) by 2035. According to Ericsson, the global front runner in 5G technologies, 5G-enabled digitalization income capability in India will be more than $27 billion by 2026. Moreover, according to the predictions reported by Global System Mobile Association, India will have approximately 70 million 5G connections by 2025. It is extensively recognized that the worth of 5G implementations for India can be greater as compared to advanced nations around the globe as a consequence of the marginal investments in physical infrastructure.

Influence of 5G technology in new and existing industry verticals:

The deployment of 5G is likely to allow the addition of different service aspects apart from the orthodox voice and data through the enabling technologies like IoT, Massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), Adaptive Beam Forming through Advanced Digital Signal Processing, device to device, Millimeter Wave, Terahertz communications, Cloud services, Big Data, Mobile cloud computing, Virtual Reality (AR/VR), etc. The majority of these enabling technologies are sheltered under Electronics and Communication Engineering. With a capability to explore $12.3 trillion revenue across various industries, the implementation of 5G is expected to influence almost every industry including agriculture, energy, logistics, fleet management, tracking, home, industrial application and control, traffic safety and control, remote manufacturing, remote training, remote healthcare, smartphone and many more. Apart from the user range, 5G will enable new potential and adaptability for mobile service providers to satisfy the specific needs of enterprise consumers. 5G is expected to play a vital role in enabling the 4th Industrial Revolution, as technology is smoothly planted within the bounds of the society as well as in commercial and industrial processes. Another positive aspect of 5G technologies is that it will not replace all the existing generations of telecom networks like 2G, 3G, and 4G. Reports also suggested that even after the introduction of 5G into the Indian networks, the primary generation of cellular technologies can co-exist with the 5G technologies for a span of at least 10 years. This will restrict the reduction in the current job opportunities in the Tele-communication sector as well as create new employment opportunities with novel 5G deployments for Electronics and Communication Engineers.

Impact of futuristic 5G technology on real-time teaching and learning:

5G is expected to boost the remote teaching-learning processes, because of its lightning data rate (as well as ultra-low latency). This is expected to enable instant interactivity, with minimal energy consumption. This indicates that instead of watching the video of a facilitator/faculty, learners in remote locations of India or other countries can participate in classes with instant interactivity.

Role of Electronics and Communication Engineering in building 5G ready career:

The courses included in the program of Electronics and Communication Engineering like Antenna and Wave Propagation, Microwave Engineering, Digital Signal Processing, IoT, Robotics, VLSI, Data Communication and Networking, Digital Communication, Electronic Devices, Control System, etc. will provide the fresh graduates/post-graduates with an added advantage to pursue a bright career in the 5G enabled future world. The 5G enabled future worlds will demand young minds with an in-depth knowledge of Electronics and Communication Engineering possessing innovative and problem-solving skill sets. The 5G enabled future world is promising exciting career opportunities for young minds pursuing Electronics and Communication Engineering as careers.

Electronics and Communication Engineering: A bright career option?

Electronics is constantly making our day to day life easy and smart. From smartphones, to smart homes electronics and communication engineering is marking itself as indispensable. Electronics is helping to build the planet smaller and is bridging up the gaps of communication through voice/video solutions that too within the financial reach of the common man. The quick evolution of robots and embedded systems during the last decade is indicating the role of Electronics and communication engineering in the future world. These observations as well as outcomes are suggesting Electronics & Communication Engineering as an exciting as well as optimistic frontier to study and work.

For students, Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) is one of the most sought after branches of engineering as it is an umbrella term. ECE involves a variety of specializations under it like Analog Electronics, Digital Electronics, Consumer Electronics, Robotics, Internet of Things, VLSI, and many more.

Ideally who should study ECE?

Electronic and communication engineering demands young minds to be creative as well as to possess a problem-solving outlook. It is best suited for the individual who can think logically and have a knack for subjects like Physics and Mathematics. The young minds are expected to have affection towards electronics/communication as well as to possess a passion for fixing things. To pursue a Bachelors of Technology in ECE, the fundamental requirement is the successful qualification in 10+2 with relevant engineering subjects like mathematics and physics. The students need to appear and qualify Joint entrance examinations or other institutes/university-specific entrance examinations to get enrolled into the exciting program of ECE.

Divergent and popular career options in ECE:

Telecommunication Engineer: A Telecommunication engineer attempts to design, test, deploy and maintain telecommunication systems. The tasks involve steps like circuit design, testing, production, judicious large scale developments, and maintenance of diverse telecommunication equipment’s/modules.

Instrumentation & Control Engineer: Modeling and testing complex electronics systems is the core task. This sphere of work is vital, as most energy-saving electrical systems used in our day to day life are associated with it.

Desktop Support Engineer: Almost every IT as well as Non-IT organizations requires these technocrats. These engineers support clients with hardware and software solutions.

Network Engineer: Network engineers are accountable for creating and sustaining the regular operation of computer networks that organizations rely on.

Service Engineer: Service Engineers are generally required to provide support, maintenance, and repair of sold products. They provide off-site remedial and protective maintenance services along with after-sales technical support solutions.

RF & BTS Engineer: The Radiofrequency (RF) Engineers are engaged in designing new wireless networks, their components, and plans for ensuring the fulfillment of regulatory standards. The RF & BTS engineers are also required to analyze devices, interconnect data using digital software, testing, implementing & maintaining wireless communication and identifying scope of improvements.

Scope for Electronics and Communication Engineering in the next decade:

The last few years have witnessed the massive recruitment of professionals perusing Electronics and communication engineering as a career. This is due to the accelerating tie-up among the electronics technology and the digital technology. A report from the United States Bureau Labor of Statistics, predicts that the employability in the domain of electronics and electrical engineering is expected to increase by 7% from 2016 to 2026. The report from Frost and Sullivan predicted that the count of connected cars with embedded telematics is expected to hike from 23 million in 2018 to 65 million in 2025. According to NASSCOM Engineering R&D, the Engineering R&D outsourcing market is anticipated to flourish at a Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% to reach USD160 billion by 2025. India’s Engineering Research & Development (ER&D) revenue is expected to grow at a Compound annual growth rate of 12% to reach ~USD 60 billion by 2025. The global Automotive Battery market size was valued at USD 48.71 billion in 2016 and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 8.5% by 2023. The survey from Aspiring Minds estimated the workability for positions such as Mechanical engineer and Civil engineer stood at a scant 5.55% and 6.48% respectively. Workability in the subject-especial positions was the loftiest for electronics engineers at 7.07%. Also, a recent collective survey by ASSOCHAM and NEC Corp suggests that the electronics market of India is presumed to reach $400 billion by the year 2020 at a 41% CAGR rate.

With the accelerated growth of novel technologies like 5G, IoT, Robotics, and artificial intelligence, industries to a great extent will rely on the potential of Electronic and communication engineering. The Technological industry, the Manufacturing sector, Multinational Corporations, Research-based companies, Armed forces, and many other domains are persistently looking for proficient ECE engineers, thereby leading to a surge in demand for professionals. Expanding applications of ECE in high-tech industries are likely to constitute some of the most sought-after career opportunities in the next decade.

Smartphones in times of Corona-Boon or Bane?

Growing Smartphone production in India Pre-COVID-19 crisis:

India has emerged as one of the global front runners in the manufacturing of smartphones since 2016. The manufacturing of smartphones in India has seen an increase by 7% from 2016 to 2019. The major reasons for this rapid growth are i) provision of getting production-linked incentive (PLI) from government of India for boosting the domestic production of smartphone and their components, ii) US-China trade war is considered to another vital factor for companies shifting their manufacturing base away from China iii) Cheap availability of land and labor in India and iv) the gigantic domestic market as well as the options to curtail substantial import duties.

Additionally, firms like Apple, who were firmly against the setting up of their smartphone manufacturing units in India due to infrastructural inadequacies, lack of manufacturing ecosystem and interlinked supply chains, has agreed to do so. Its accord manufacturer (which are already present in India), Foxconn, has initiated the manufacturing of iPhone XR in Chennai and intends the production of the complete iPhone11 series from India.

Impact of COVID-19 on India’s Smartphone Production:

As a consequence of COVID-19 outbreak the Indian smartphone manufacturing industry may encounter a serious setback in domestic production and sale of smartphones by double digit percentages, due to its influence on both supply and demand. As a consequence of lockdown in China majority of the smartphone manufacturers have reported the lack in supply of the essential components from China in the first week of March. Amidst all these prospects as an impact of unstable economy, the demand of smartphones in India will significantly reduce thereby effecting overall production by the domestic as well as global smartphone producers.

The smartphone manufacturers are compelled to close down their production units as a consequence of the country wide lockdown starting from 25^th March and further extended till 3^rd May 2020. The initial lockdown from the government of India is considered to cause a monetary loss of more than $2 billion to the smartphone manufacturers. The extension of countrywide lock down will make the losses even enormous. Smartphone manufacturers have requested government of India to permit them to operate in the category of essential service, so to enable them to distribute smartphones during the lockdown. Xiaomi described that the request was not intended to create earnings, but about placing a crucial device in the reach of the people during the pandemic. Additionally, the COVID-19 outbreak has now been under control in China, providing stability to economy. As a consequence the smartphone manufacturing units are increasing production vigorously. On the other hand India is going through its extended manufacturing shutdown, which is expected to cause exponential losses to the smartphone industry in India.

Opportunities post-COVID-19 crisis:

Due to the COVID-19 crisis people around the globe are compelled to stay at home for several weeks or even months. The lock down will cause some persistent alterations (habituation to digital platforms) in the day to day life of people around the globe, leading to potential increase in the use of smartphones and the associated services. With work from home developing into a norm, and the halting of offline retail, the smartphone industry is expected to get significant number of new users, thereby increasing the demand for its quick production. Additionally, as a significant consequence of country wide lockdown, digital payment platforms have emerged as a necessity for common man. With the habituation of digital payment platform, smartphones are expected to ease endorsement of digital payments, thereby increasing the demands for smartphones.

Both the environmental and human nature is undergoing fast metamorphosis in these days of lockdown and Covid-19 crisis. Few bad habits will surely make way for a few new ones to replace in our day to day lives. Quintessential hand held remotely operated SMARTPHONES will remain and possibly gain bigger roles in our livelihood gathering more new customer bases not only just in India but also across the globe.