NEW DELHI: India on Saturday ushered in the 5G era with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the services in eight cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Varanasi. The 5G technology, which is 100 times faster than 4G and has the potential to deliver up to 20 Gbps speed, would be available across the country next year. The government estimates the cumulative economic impact of 5G on India will touch USD 450 billion by 2035. While launching the 5G services, Modi said the technology’s use will not be limited to high-speed internet access, saying it has the capability to change lives.
“Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G... It is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian for this,” he said. The PM pointed out that India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies but with 5G, India has created history. “India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time,” he remarked. He further said the cost of data in India is among the lowest in the world.
It has come down from Rs 300 to about Rs 10 per GB. Modi also urged the telecom industry leaders to visit schools and colleges and unleash every aspect of this new technology. He also asked them to create an ecosystem for MSMEs to prepare spare parts for electronic manufacturing.
“India may not have benefited from the first three industrial revolutions, but I am confident that it will take full benefit of the 4th industrial revolution and, in fact, will lead it,” said Modi. Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel said they will roll out 5G services nationwide by December 2023 and March 2024, respectively.