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India gets 5G: What telecom bosses Ambani, Mittal & Birla said about their companies' 5G plans

PM Narendra Modi launched 5G services in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi today. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress and also witnessed the IMC Exhibition that was put on the occasion.

ET Now Digital

Updated Oct 1, 2022, 16:31 IST

PM Modi launched 5G services in India at the 6th edition of the Indian Mobile Congress

PM Narendra Modi launched 5G services in India at the 6th edition of the Indian Mobile Congress on October 1 (Source: ANI)

Photo : ANI

At the 6th edition of the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC), a digital technology forum organised by telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and sector regulator Department of Telecom (DoT), bosses of Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) laid out their companies’ 5G-rollout plans and paid homage to government leadership.

Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), on Saturday reiterated that Jio, RIL’s telecom arm, will deliver the fifth-generation (5G) mobile network to every city, town, village and taluka across India by December 2023-end.

“India may have started late, but it will finish first by ensuring 5G rollout across the nation,” he said, adding, that most of Jio’s 5G was developed in India, and hence carried the stamp of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, the government’s flagship programme to manufacture locally.

He lauded the government for fast-tracking the roll-out of 5G mobile network, which, he added, is a gateway to 21st-century technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Robotics, Blockchain & Metaverse.

“To my mind, it's foundational technology that unlocks full potential of other 21st century technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of things, Robotics, Blockchain & Metaverse

The billionaire also congratulated the Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the government for their efforts to strengthen BSNL, stating that presence of a robust state-run entity was important for the strategic sector.

“I would like to congratulate Ashwini Vaishnaw and the Government of India for their efforts to strengthen BSNL. A strong BSNL will bring the balancing presence of a government entity in this very strategic sector,” Ambani said during his address at the India Mobile Congress.

Very proud of what we've demonstrated. To COAI (Cellular Operators Assn of India) & DoT (Dept of Telecom), I can say we're ready to take leadership & Indian Mobile Congress should now become Asian Mobile Congress & Global Mobile Congress: Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Sunil Mittal

Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Enterprises, which controls Bharti Airtel said his company is launching the fifth generation mobile network services in 8 cities, including Delhi and Varanasi, on October 1.

He added that pan-India 5G services will be rolled out by Airtel by March 2024.

"Bharti Airtel is working with speed and courage to bring 5G services to many cities by March 2023, and the entire country by March 2024," said Mittal.

Kumar Mangalam Birla

Birla who owns a minority stake in Vodafone Idea (Vi), said the company will leverage its strong presence in rural India, network of technology partners and global expertise of Vodafone for rolling out5G services in “the coming period”, without giving a definite timeline.

"We will leverage or strong presence in rural India our enterprise customers, our technology partners, and the global expertise of the Vodafone group for progressively rolling out our 5G network and services in the coming period," he said.

He thanked the government for telecom sector reforms and support in helping the country move towards the 5G era.

“As we move into the 5G era, we hope to receive continued policy support to drive the 5G revolution in this digital decade. It is a leap that demonstrates India's prowess on the global stage and reinforces telcom industry's role as the bedrock of digital India. It will pave the way for country to become 5 trillion in next 3 years,” he added.

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