5G telecom services are to be launched in India on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Mobile Congress show in New Delhi. The event will see the three major telecom providers in India — Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Airtel — showcase tech demos to demonstrate the potential of the 5G technology in India. In related news, it was announced on Friday that the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi has become the 5G-ready airport in the country.
Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vi, and Adani Group were the four major participants of the 5G spectrum auction in India. The Department of Telecom (DoT) received bids worth Rs. 1.50 lakh crore during this auction.
The first phase of the 5G rollout in India will take place in 13 major cities — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune.
Reliance Jio reportedly aims to have the fastest 5G rollout in the world. The company has revealed that it plans to offer 5G coverage all over India by the end of 2023. Similarly, Airtel aims to provide pan-India coverage by 2024. Meanwhile, Vi will base its 5G rollout on factors like use cases, customer demand, competition, and more. The company also plans to increase the tariff rates of its network plans in the near future.
A recent report claims that Indian consumers are willing to pay up to 45 percent premium for a 5G upgrade. The country is said to have over 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones.
5G technology is expected to be about 10 times faster than the current 4G connectivity. Its low latency rate is likely to benefit mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing sectors, among many others.
It is also said to be highly reliable and energy efficient, which may 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 could be used in real-time monitoring of disasters and drone-farming as well.
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