NEW DELHI: As India officially moved into the 5G era on Saturday, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) are confident of rolling out 5G technology in the entire country in the next couple of years. While India’s largest telecom operator Reliance Jio said it will cover the entire country by December 2023, Bharti Airtel said it will roll out across India by March 2024.
“Today, I want to reiterate Jio’s commitment to deliver 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil of our country by December 2023. Most of Jio’s 5G is developed in India, and hence carries the stamp of Atmanirbhar Bharat,” said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries. Ambani, while speaking at the 5G launch at the India Mobile Congress, noted the 5G rollout in India is not an ordinary event in the country’s telecom history as it carries keen expectations and the high aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians.
“India may have started a little late, but I want to assure all of you, we will finish first by rolling out 5G services across the length and breadth of India. And as an industry, we will ensure that we have the highest quality and the most affordable rates than anyone else has in the world,” said Ambani.
He further said, by harnessing the combined power of demography and digital technologies, India can become the world’s leading digital society, setting a benchmark for simultaneously achieving the dual goals of acceleration of growth and inclusion in development – acceleration of growth by making India a 40 trillion dollar economy by 2047, up from $3 trillion today, and inclusion in development by raising our per capita income to over $20,000, from $2,000 today.
Airtel Chairman Sunil Mittal said Airtel’s 5G service will be available in 8 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi and Bengaluru from September 30. “Airtel will deploy 5G services across most cities by March 2023 and across the country by March 2024,” said Mittal. However, India’s third-largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has not given any specific timeline. Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, while speaking at the launch of 5G services said the company will soon begin a 5G rollout journey.
“We will leverage our strong presence in rural India, our enterprise customers, our tech partners, and global experience of Vodafone Group for progressively rolling out our 5G network and services in the coming period,” Birla said.
Industry leaders welcome 5G launch
Sanjay Malik, Senior vice-president and head of India Market, Nokia, said, “Nokia welcomes all measures taken by the Government to facilitate the deployment of 5G technology. Our global experience in 5G rollouts shows that it will provide a strong impetus to socioeconomic growth and industrial development, contributing to the GDP and mission of Digital Bharat.”
Madhav Sheth, CEO realme India opined as the first brand to launch a 5G enabled phone, the company believed that 5G has the potential to bring together the entire ecosystem, which is why realme has dedicated 90% of its research and development efforts to 5G technologies and devices.
Tasleem Arif, VP and R&D Head of OPPO said after years of intense preparation, the launch of 5G will unleash new economic opportunities and societal benefits, serving as a transformational force for Indian society. Peeyush Vaish, Partner and Telecom sector leader, Deloitte India said today is definitely a historic day for India as the country embarks on a digital journey with the next generation network. The pan-India roll-out of 5G services will significantly uplift the quality of life for the 1.3 billion Indians and give near real-time access to education, healthcare and digital content like never before.
All about 5G:What is 5G?
It is the 5th generation mobile network, which is 100 times faster than the 4G network. In simple language one can download films or music on phone with faster speed. At the same time, it provides a wide range of benefits including providing seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications.
What can 5G do?
5G will increase energy, spectrum and network efficiency. The technology will help connect billions of Internet of Things devices and will allow higher quality video services with mobility at highspeed, and delivery of critical services.