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Sead Fadilpašić

5G rollout in India fastest in the world, officials say

5G services in india

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke at an event hosted on March 16 by the PHD Chambre of Commerce and Industries. He stated that India was the country with the fastest rollout of 5G telecom Services since October 2021. In 2029, India is expected to launch its 6G infrastructure.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, 5G, and 6G in India

Vaishnaw, who currently holds the department of Railways, Communications, Electronics, and IT, stated his goal to reach 200 cities by December 2023. However, 5G service has already been launched in 397 cities, according to a Deccan Herald report. Recall that 5G services were officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, 2022. This was after India's 5G spectrum auctions closed in August 2022.

The minister stated that India is on track to be the global leader in 6G technology, adding that the government would develop the infrastructure for 6G networks by 2029. He didn't provide much information about the matter.

5G in India

Only two of India’s three largest telecom providers offer 5G services. Airtel was the initial service provider to implement non-standalone access technology. Jio is, however, the only Indian operator to use 700 MHz bands. It is also the only Indian operator to have deployed 5G standalone access (SA), which is a low-band spectrum.

CRISIL, a rating agency, stated in the Report that by March 2025, about a quarter of all wireless data users in India, or approximately 300 million customers, will use 5G services. This compares to 20-25 million in March, 2023.

Naveen Vardyanathan, Director of CRISIL ratings, stated that approximately 30-35 Percent of India's 150-170 Million smartphones are 5G compatible. 5G smartphone shipments will steadily increase, but 5G adoption will remain limited to 300 million users in fiscal 2025 due to the high initial cost and low value proposition.

Via: 91mobiles

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