5G launch in India:
5G is the fastest communication network available in the world and is slowly making its way to every country. The USA and China are at the forefront of this network revamp, but many Indian telecom giants are set to welcome 5G services in a phased manner. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and more are among the first 13 cities as a part of the launch.
The government has ordered the launch of 5G services in India at the inauguration of the Indian mobile congress. The 5G network launch date in India is scheduled for September 29th, and telecom companies are gearing up to be the first 5G bands in India.
According to recent reports, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are way ahead and have already prepared to launch their 5G services by the end of this month. This is a result of a request rolled out by the telecom minister of India, Ashwini Vaishnav. Vaishnav asked telecom services on Thursday to be ready for the 5G launch post the issuance of spectrum allocation letters.
ALSO READ: Airtel launches 2 new plans at Rs 519 and Rs 779- 1.5GB data per day, unlimited voice calls and more
According to PTI, an Indian news agency, a media event in Delhi witnessed Vaishnav mentioning plans to increase 5G cities in India from 13 to 25 by the end of the year and also talked about internet prices remaining cheaper than the global average since mobile data in India is "the lowest in the world." She then proceeded to call 5G in India "the beginning of a new era for Indian telecom."
In a speech on Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi announced that India would experience 5G launch sooner than experienced, in an attempt to increase internet speed ten times faster than 4G.
Although the government is trying its best to provide the people with increased internet speed, not every citizen from the 13 cities will obtain this service since telecom companies may provide 5G internet only in some selected parts of the above-mentioned cities by organising pilot testing in area-specific cities and later expanding to more parts of the city. In fact, fieldwork and network deployment have already begun, and trials were conducted during the pre-auction stage.
However, PM Narendra Modi, on Independence Day, did mention that the remotest parts of the country, such as villages and towns, will get optical fibre, and no one will be devoid of the internet.
ALSO READ: Reliance Jio partners with Microsoft, Meta, Intel and Google, to roll out 5G in October- Know more
In a recent auction held for the 5G spectrum, the DoT received around ₹17,876 crores from service providers including Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. The Department of Telecom also proceeded to issue spectrum assignment letters to successful bidders that made upfront payments.
The 5G launch in India is a part of the Digital India movement and aims to uplift mainly three sectors, that are, education, healthcare, and agriculture, along with infrastructure and logistics. PM Narendra Modi, with this project, also hopes to increase convenience and create employment opportunities at the grassroots levels.
ALSO READ: '6G in India by end of this decade': PM Modi's big announcement ahead of 5G services roll out
According to an official from one of the mobile companies, fortunately, the 5G launch in India will not experience technological challenges, unlike when the network shift was made from 3G to 4G. Since 5G is an IP-based system, only upgrades to software and servers will be required, along with the installation of radio antennas and small cell sites for 5G.
