Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Saturday said 5G deployment will commence in 20-25 cities and towns by the year-end, and indicated that India, with its current data prices significantly lower than the global average, will continue to set rate benchmarks as new services are rolled out.
The 5G deployment will start in August-September, Vaishnav said.
The minister said India is developing 4G and 5G stacks and is set to bolster its position as a trusted source for the world, in digital networks.
Speaking at ‘TV9 What India Thinks Today Global Summit’, Vaishnav said that nations are keen to give preference to 4G and 5G products and technologies being developed by India.
India is currently developing 4G and 5G stacks, and is set to bolster its position as a trusted source for the world, in digital networks, Vaishnav said, adding nations are keen to give preference to 4G and 5G products and technologies being developed by India.
The Minister also noted that an important regulation is in the works to address the issue of unsolicited calls. It will enable the KYC identity name of a caller to be displayed when someone calls, he said.
On pricing for 5G services, Vaishnav observed that even today data rates in India are at about $2, against a global average of $25.
“We are already the lowest in the world, at least by a factor of 10X…10X we are cheaper than the world, that same trend will be in other areas too,” he said.
5G spectrum auction
The government will auction about ₹4.3 lakh crore worth of airwaves capable of offering fifth-generation or 5G telecom services, including ultra-high-speed internet, and has also given its nod for setting up of captive 5G networks by the tech firms.
As much as 72 GHz of the spectrum will be put on the block during the 5G auction, set to commence on July 26, 2022.
On the issue of unsolicited calls, Vaishnav said a new regulation in the offing will enable the KYC name (as given in the mobile SIM application) to be displayed when someone makes a call. The consultation process on this is currently underway.
“Once industry stakeholder consultation is completed, this will be implemented all over the country,” Mr. Vaishnaw said.
Moving forward with PM @narendramodi ji’s vision of a Digital India.
Spectrum auction announced today is an integral part of developing #BharatKa5G ecosystem. pic.twitter.com/k5JWCyAyWo— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) June 15, 2022
Vaishnav called it ‘the beginning of a new era for Indian telecom’.
“The time is not far away when India is going to emerge as a leading country in the field of 5G technology and the upcoming 6G technology,” the government said.
In March, prime minister Narendra Modi said the country would be ready for the launch of 6G services by the end of the decade.
On 5G technology, he said: “This will boost growth in every sector like agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, and logistics. This will also increase convenience and create many employment opportunities.”
