5G telecom services will be launched in India today by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Mobile Congress show in New Delhi. At the event, India’s three major telecom providers – Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Airtel – will showcase tech demos to showcase the potential of 5G technology in India. In related news, it was announced on Friday that Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has become the country’s 5G-ready airport.
Reliance Jio, Airtel, VI and Adani Group were the four major participants in India’s 5G spectrum auction. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) received bids of Rs. 1.50 lakh crore in this auction.
The first phase of 5G rollout in India will take place in 13 major cities namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.
Reliance Jio aims to have the fastest 5G rollout in the world. The company has revealed that it plans to offer 5G coverage across India by the end of 2023. Similarly, Airtel aims to provide pan-India coverage by 2024. Meanwhile, Vi will base the 5G rollout on factors such as use cases, customer demand, etc. Contests, and more. The company plans to increase the rates of its network plans in the near future.
A recent report claimed that Indian consumers are willing to pay a 45 percent premium for a 5G upgrade. The country has 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones.
5G technology is expected to be around 10 times faster than current 4G connectivity. Its low latency rate is likely to benefit the mining, warehousing, telemedicine and manufacturing sectors.
It is also said to be highly reliable and energy efficient, which could be ideal for using virtual reality/augmented reality in education and skill development. 5G connectivity is said to bring high quality video services at high speeds. This technology can also be used for real-time monitoring of disasters and agriculture through drones.
