Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services in India at the inauguration of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022. He also unveiled various 5G use cases of different telecom service providers (TSPs) in education, health, worker safety, smart agriculture etc. He also launched indigenous 5G non-standalone (NSA) core developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (CDoT) and witnessed various technology demonstrations of enterprise 5G solutions, chipsets, and networking equipment developed by Indian telecom start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large manufacturers.
The Prime Minister exhorted central ministries, state governments and the private sector to tap various 5G use cases to enhance citizen services, accelerate employment opportunities and raise productivity and efficiency. At the IMC, the Prime Minister visited the various pavilions of TSPs, industries and startups and watched the innovative use cases displayed by them. He saw connected ambulance (emergency healthcare), community clinic (mass healthcare/treatment), remote ultrasound robot demo (remote healthcare) and fixed wireless access (FWA) for rural broadband connectivity.
According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Communications, Electronics and Information Technology and Railways, telecom is the gateway of Digital India and a strong telecom sector is needed in this period of transition. The minister said that the Prime Minister has given the strategic sector status to the telecom sector and gave guidance on all dimensions of this sector and a focus is made on the development of telecom technology. The Prime Minister gave regulatory certainty to this sector and made a transparent system for the sector which was under litigation till now. As a result of these reforms today the telecom sector is coming up as a sunrise industry. He added that with the launch of 5G, there will be a great development in the sectors of education, health, agriculture, logistics, and digital economy and the face of communications will change. Efforts are on to reach last-mile connectivity in the optical fibre network with an innovative model. The minister thanked the Prime Minister for giving Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) a market stabilising force status, and sectioning Rs 1.64 trillion package which is a historic event for the Indian TSP. He added that there is a big fundamental change in telecom manufacturing in the country. The Prime Minister gave a challenge of developing indigenous technology for 4G and 5G and India is marching ahead in the technology development and now the world is looking at Indian telecom technology.
Meanwhile, according to Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, India is marching towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. Under this, India has developed 4G and 5G now and will develop 6G in future. In the direction of the Prime Minister, remarkable reforms have been made in the telecom sector. As a result of this, the spectrum is allotted to the telecom operator almost the same day. He added that at the juncture of getting self-reliance in the modern telecom sector we have great faith in it that it will give new energy, new hope and new life.
Further, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and MD, Reliance Industries Limited, said that a strong BSNL will bring the balancing presence of a government entity in the telecom sector. The industry will ensure that the country has the highest quality and the most affordable rates than anyone else in the world. He added that India will finish first by rolling out 5G services across the length and breadth of the country. Ambani reiterated that Reliance Jio will deliver 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil by December 2023. He said that 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 economy by 2047, up from $3 trillion today, and inclusion in development by increasing our per capita income rapidly to over $20,000 from $2,000 today. Ambani added that 5G and 5G-enabled digital solutions can bring affordable and high-quality education and skill development within the reach of common Indians, helping young Indians realise their full potential by arming them with world-class capabilities and competencies. 5G can also affordably deliver high-quality healthcare to rural and remote areas by turning existing hospitals into smart hospitals without much additional investment. He said that 5G can bridge the gap between urban and rural India by accelerating digitisation and intelligent data management of agriculture, services, trade, industry, informal sector, transportation and energy infrastructure.
Also, Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group (a promoter of Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), said that the telco has 240 million citizens connected to its networks, with 50 per cent of them in rural India. Its networks have constantly been upgraded to be capable of smooth and swift migration to 5G. Having taken concrete steps for 5G ecosystem development, 5G use cases for Indian enterprises and consumers, and acquisition of 5G spectrum in a very well-designed auction, the telco will soon begin the 5G rollout journey. While Birla did not provide a timeline, he stressed that Vi had a plan of action in place and is working towards its goals of rolling out 5G. The TSP will leverage its strong presence in rural India, its enterprise customers, technology partners, and the global experience of the Vodafone Group for progressively rolling out its 5G networks and services in the coming period. He also focused on the use case demonstrated by Vi at IMC 2022, which addresses the need for safe working conditions for workers at infrastructure construction sites by leveraging digital infrastructure and 5G. The use case demo aims to show how a high-speed and low latency 5G network can be used to ensure worker safety and efficiency in the supervision of critical construction sites. He added that 5G will accelerate education, remote health and smart agriculture to enable inclusive growth and prosperity in rural India.
Further, Sunil Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises, said that his company is launching 5G mobile network services in eight cities, including Delhi and Varanasi, on October 1, 2022. He added that pan-India 5G services will be rolled out by Bharti Airtel by March 2024.
Industry reactions:
Commenting on the launch, Lt. Gen. Dr. S P Kochhar, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said, “We are honoured and thankful to our Prime Minister for launching first 5G services at IMC 2022. We are excited about the long-awaited 5G launch in India. Telecom operators are geared up to provide the high-speed services that are poised to transform consumer experience. 5G will open new avenues for each sector from manufacturing, healthcare, and augmented entertainment to even smart city projects by integrating with new-age technologies like internet of things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) learning, drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics. We will see a multifaceted impact in terms of creating opportunities for people and businesses that have the potential to completely change the economic landscape of India. With a goal of reaching a $5 trillion economy by 2025, 5G is the road map for the socio-economic development and future prosperity of our nation.”
Meanwhile, Sanjay Malik, SVP and head, India Market, Nokia, said, “Nokia is committed towards and fully prepared to support our partners in ushering in the 5G era in India. We welcome 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 gross domestic product (GDP) and mission of Digital Bharat.”
Further, Anku Jain, MD, MediaTek India, said, “5G will usher in a new wave of opportunities for businesses, unlocking the next level of growth for the country. More than just seamless connectivity and fast speed, 5G technology is going to revolutionize businesses and industries, enhancing advancements, and innovation and research and development (R&D) while also improving customer experiences. 5G will be a key driver for Digital India initiatives and realising sesign in India opportunities leveraging disruptive technologies like AI, cloud, IoT, and others across the ecosystem. We foresee India becoming a major hub for cutting-edge semiconductor R&D and design and the rollout of 5G services will accelerate the next wave of digital transformation. MediaTek congratulates the people of India and we are extremely proud to be a part of this significant milestone in India’s journey towards atmanirbharta.”
Also, Arvind Bali, CEO, Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC), said, “We applaud our Prime Minister on this landmark announcement of the long-waited launch of 5G services in India. Numerous opportunities will arise for the skilled workforce in India as the demand for 5G services rises. For an estimate, in fiscal year 2021–2022 around 36,000+ competent workers were needed in India for 5G and allied technologies. Due to the increased use of internet services and apps, the demand for better telecom networks, and currently the implementation of 5G network, this gap will only widen. In order to meet this demand, TSSC has already developed courses in 5G and related technologies and created multiple centres of excellence and training centres across the country. To close this gap, we have also teamed up with various government, academic, and business stakeholders. India is home to a sizable talent pool, hence it is crucial that the youth is skilled, upskilled, or reskilled for this new network technology.”
Further, Manoranjan (Mao) Mohapatra, CEO, Comviva, said, “The rollout of 5G network in India will be a crucial enabler for digital transformation. We applaud our Prime Minister on announcing the launch of the 5G services in the country. Apart from catering to the customers, the 5G technology will also add an intrinsic value to the enterprise segment in the country. The global market for 5G-enabled business applications is expected to grow to $20 billion over the five years and India will be a critical contributor to this expansion. 5G will not only improve connectivity across the country but also reinvent the customer experience for telco consumers apart from the traditional calling and internet services.”
In addition, Manish Vyas, president, Communications, Media and Entertainment Business, and CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra, said, “5G ecosystem will unlock immense opportunities for industries across sectors, allowing them to experiment with myriad ideas to innovate and fuel the next level of growth possibilities. 5G is not just a generational leap in network technology, it is a platform for Innovation. I often say that 5G is like the last piece of the Industry 4.0 jigsaw puzzle, that will spearhead the next wave of digital disruption, taking us a step closer to realising our dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat and technological supremacy. We are extremely excited about 5G and would like to congratulate the government and the people of India on this momentous day that has made 5G a reality.”
Moreover, Agendra Kumar, MD, Esri India, said, “The launch of 5G is truly a watershed moment for us and we are proud to be a part of this journey. As we enter this new dawn of technological disruption, the advent of 5G will not only revolutionise the Indian telecom industry but will have a huge social, economic, and global impact. In all this, geographic information system (GIS) technology and geospatial infrastructure will play a pivotal role in helping TSPs in designing and managing their networks, assets, and operations in an integrated way, and be agile enough to grow as their business requirements change, while ensuring next-generation customer experience. Together, 5G and GIS will play a transformational role in the success of Digital India.”
Further, Sanjiv Mehta, president, FICCI, said, “The launch of 5G services by the Prime Minister is yet another momentous milestone in the nation’s economic journey and will facilitate both ease-of-doing-business and the ease of living. It will revolutionise our digital sector and will also augment agriculture, disaster management, healthcare, education, logistics and transport, fintech, industry4.0 and is a big push for Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
Also, Arun Chawla, director general, FICCI, said, “it is a generational leap that can help increase the telecom sector’s contribution to GDP to 8-9 per cent from 6.5 per cent presently.” He noted that 5G services would comprehensively boost the country’s digital ecosystem, ensure last mile service delivery and accelerate the nation’s socio-economic progress.
Additionally, Rahul Sharma, chairperson, IT/ITeS Committee, FICCI, said, “Today is a momentous day for India. 5G is a leap toward a future that promises to bring everyone opportunities and access to information.”
Lastly, Marshal Correia, VP and general manager, India, South Asia, Red Hat, said, “5G technology is bringing a new era of innovation and possibilities to the telecommunications industry which is unlocking considerable value for consumers and enterprises. Communication service providers (CSPs) are preparing themselves to embrace this unprecedented business transformation as this opens up new and reliable revenue streams. They are ramping up their evolution towards cloud-native architectures and containers and working to scale their networks to support increased demand. In this effort, open radio access network (RAN) solutions offer standardised disaggregation of the RAN, decoupling hardware and software, to give them more freedom of choice for which CSPs are looking to implement a container platform that is ready to take on the intensive demands of this evolution for their RAN and for new 5G use cases, such as network slicing, IoT and industrial IoT. Red Hat is committed and excited to play a key role in this transformation with open software innovation which guarantees choice and reduces financial risk for CSPs. Red Hat is working consistently with customers and partners to offer one of the strongest open RAN ecosystems available today by enhancing Red Hat OpenShift with the features required to build and deliver a modern open RAN and driving 5G adoption with Kubernetes-based networking to help CSPs tackle competitive use cases, including 5G core, edge computing, IoT, machine learning and more. We believe that open, hybrid cloud solutions are the key to successful implementations and broad adoption. Our upstream-first development model helps drive innovation and flexibility and opens opportunities for industry collaboration in this time of disaggregation.”
