Addressing the Times Network India Economic Conclave, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, urged the government to subsidise fees for allotting 5G spectrum. To this end he said that a lower price will provide impetus for faster roll out of the next-generation telecommunication network and can have more benefits than collecting revenue in upfront cost.
Detailing the versatility in 5G use-cases, Mittal said that there are a variety of applications across sectors ranging from healthcare to video interactions, which will make 5G a technology to be introduced as soon as possible.
Speaking on the trade-off of investment on 5G auction, Mittal argued that instead of devoting money on spectrum acquisitions, service providers can invest in faster roll out of the network, which will deliver high speed connectivity with lower latency.
Citing global examples, Mittal said that the roll outs in Alaska and Canada have been successful, and added that far-off places in India like the areas near China border, jungles of Gir or the Himalayan mountain range require such a technology for connecting people. He said terrestrial radio networks cannot reach up to 10 per cent of Indian population which can be connected through the satellites.
