PM Modi to Roll Out 5G Services in India on 1 October at Indian Mobile Congress

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the government has given a target of 80 percent coverage of 5G services.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 5G services in India on 1 October, the Government’s National Broadband Mission tweeted on Saturday, 24 September.

“Taking India's digital transformation & connectivity to new heights, Hon'ble PM, @narendramodi, will roll out 5G services in India; at India Mobile Congress; Asia's largest technology exhibition," the tweet said. 

The India Mobile Congress, which claims to be Asia’s largest telecom, media and technology forum, is organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operations Association of India (COAI). 

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the government has given a target of 80 percent coverage of 5G telecom services in a very short timeframe. 

Speaking to an industry event in New-Delhi on Wednesday, NDTV quoted Vaishnaw saying: 

“The journey of 5G is going to be very exciting and noted that many countries took multiple years to reach 40 percent to 50 percent coverage."

Vaishnaw added, "But we are targeting a very aggressive timeline and the Government has given a target of 80 percent coverage in a short time frame and we should definitely cover at least 80 percent in a very short timeframe."

‘Will Account for Over One-Third Total Connections by 2030’: GSMA Report

NDTV also quoted experts in a recent report by a global industry body representing mobile network operators, which claimed that 5G technology will benefit the Indian economy by ₹ 36.4 trillion ($455 billion) between 2023 and 2040, a recent

A report by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) said that 5G will account for over one-third of India’s total connections by 2030, bringing the share of 2G and 3G to less than 10 percent.

The report also noted that the high rate of 4G adoption in India, close to 79 percent, shows a subscriber base which is ready to transition to 5G services. 

The GSMA report also estimated that in terms of total benefit - manufacturing (20 percent of total benefit), retail (12 percent) and agriculture (11 percent), will be the sectors which reap the most from 5G services.  

(With inputs from NDTV)