October 1, 2022 will be remembered as a historic day for the 21st century India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said as he gifted the 5G service to over 130 crore Indians on Saturday at the 6th edition of India Mobile Congress.
Stating that the 5G technology will revolutionise the telecom sector, PM said this event marking the launch of 5G service in India will be etched in history. The PM pointed out that India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. But with 5G, India has created a new history. “India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time”, he remarked.
Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also shared that 5G services will be available in over 200 cities in the coming 6 months and attempts are being made to make 5G available in 80-90 per cent of the country in the next 2 years.
Industry leaders – Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal, Kumar Mangalam Birla, also expressed their views on this historic occasion while shedding light on their plans to roll out the services across the country.
Jio 5G across India by December 2023
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani thanked PM Modi for inspiring the vision of a developed nation by 2047. “Every action and policy of the government is skillfully crafted to propel India, towards that goal. Steps taken to fast-track India’s march into the 5G era provide compelling proof of our Prime Minister’s determination”, he said.
He narrated the possibilities of 5G in key areas like education, education and climate etc., while stressing that 5G would help in accelerating India’s growth by making the country a $40-trillion economy by 2047, up from $3 trillion today.
“Therefore it will not be an exaggeration to say that 5G is like a digital Kamdhenu, the heavenly cow that grants whatever we desire,” said the 65-year-old industrialist who reiterated that Reliance Jio would deliver 5G in every town, taluka and tehsil of the country by December of 2023.
“India may have started a little late, yet I want to assure all of you that we will finish first by rolling out 5G services across the length and breadth of India,” he said.
Airtel 5G across India by December 2024
Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, speaking at the 5G launch event, announced that they will start offering 5G services in eight cities, including Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, from today.
Praising PM Modi for his various ambitious initiatives such as Digital India, Make in India and Startup India, Mittal said that without the Digital India vision, the country would have faced a lot of misfortune during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are proud and lucky to have a leader who understands technology in detail,” he noted.
Mittal declared that Airtel would roll out 5G services in several cities by March 2023 and across India by March 2024.
Vi 5G soon
Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group called the advent of 5G a transformational event that proves India’s prowess on the global stage and reiterates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of India’s growth.
Birla said that the launch of 5G marks the beginning of an exciting journey for India. “We will see limitless potential for 5G development and use cases in the years to come”, he noted adding that the telco will also launch 5G services in the future without sharing an exact date of roll out.
BSNL 5G service rollout
The telecom minister shared that BSNL will also offer 5G services next year after August 15 and it will be affordable.
