Ashwini Vaishnaw Union Minister he spoke (opens in a new tab) at an event organized on March 16 by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He stated that India is the country with the fastest deployment of 5G telecommunications services since October 2021. In 2029, India is expected to launch 6G infrastructure.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, 5G and 6G in India
Vaishnaw, who currently heads the department of Rail, Communications, Electronics and Computer Science, has set a goal of reaching 200 cities by December 2023. However, according to a Deccan Herald report, 5G service has already been launched in 397 cities. Recall that 5G services were officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 1, 2022. This was after the closing of the 5G spectrum auction in India in August 2022.
The minister stated that India is on track to be a global leader in 6G technology, adding that by 2029 the government will develop the infrastructure for 6G networks. He didn’t provide much information about it.
5G in India
Only two of the top three telecommunications providers in India offer 5G services. Airtel was the first service provider to implement non-standalone access technology. However, Jio is the only Indian operator that uses the 700 MHz bands. It is also the only Indian operator that has implemented 5G autonomous access (SA), i.e. low-band spectrum.
Ratings agency CRISIL said in a report that by March 2025, about a quarter of all wireless data users in India, or about 300 million customers, will use 5G services. This compares to 20-25 million in March 2023.
Naveen Vardyanathan, director of CRISIL assessment, stated that around 30-35 percent of India’s 150-170 million smartphones are 5G compatible. Shipments of 5G smartphones will continue to increase, but 5G deployment will remain limited to 300 million users in fiscal year 2025 due to high initial cost and low value proposition.
By: 91 mobile phones (opens in a new tab)