India’s rapid rollout of 5G has brought the technology to millions of smartphone users, but its larger potential may lie in connecting machines, robots and industrial systems, telecom executives said.

Prathitha Muthurangam, Enterprise Business Head – Tamil Nadu & Kerala at Bharti Airtel, said 4G was adequate for many smartphone applications, while 5G could enable a broader range of industrial and machine-to-machine use cases.

“We don’t need 5G. Even 4G is enough for our phones to work,” she said, noting that smartphones do not utilise all the capabilities that 5G offers.

“But 5G as a data use case is for industries because it is a heavy duty,” she added, referring to industrial applications that require high-speed connectivity and low latency.

Muthurangam was speaking during a panel discussion on ‘5G & its Impact on Industrial Automation and Robotics’ at ASME’s International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) in Chennai. The panel brought together executives from Bharti Airtel, Ericsson, KPMG, Nokia and Vodafone Idea.

According to the panelists, private 5G networks deployed within factories could connect machines, robots and industrial equipment through dedicated networks. Potential applications include automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), industrial Internet of Things (IoT), AI-powered visual inspection and edge computing.

Surendra Shenoy, Head of Design and Optimise, RAN Delivery at Nokia, said 5G represented a shift towards connectivity designed specifically for machines.

“5G was the first technology that was built for machines,” he said.

The low latency offered by 5G can enable machines to communicate and respond more quickly, which could be particularly important in industrial environments. The panelists noted that an AGV stopping unexpectedly during an operation, for example, could be more than a technical problem—it could become a safety concern.

Despite the potential, private 5G deployment in India remains at an early stage. Muthurangam said telecom companies had carried out several deployments, but the number was still relatively small.

“We’ve done a few deployments, but not large in numbers, but we are looking at a few more,” she said.

The panelists also noted that technology availability alone would not determine adoption. For manufacturers, the scale of investment required and the return generated by specific applications would be key factors in deciding whether to deploy private 5G networks.