Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the commercial rollout of 5G services at the India Mobile Congress 2022 being held from October 1-4 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Though it would take some more time before 5G becomes more broadly accessible to India’s masses, October 1 2022, marks an important date in the country’s history which is when telcos start rolling out 5G for users after months of testing.
Bharti Airtel's 5G service will be available in eight cities, its chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said at the event.
“With 2G, 3G, and 4G, India was dependant on other countries [for technology, equipment] but with 5G, we are creating history by setting a global standard in technology and, in fact, leading it, too,” PM Modi said during his address, adding that “this is a big opportunity and a big win for Digital India.”
After inaugurating the exhibition, PM Modi went around pavilions set up by different telecom operators and technology providers to get a first-hand experience of what 5G can do. He started with Reliance Jio's stalls, where he witnessed the 'True 5G' devices displayed and experienced the use case through Jio Glass.
The Ministry of Communications noted that the cumulative impact of 5G on India’s economy is expected to reach a whopping USD 450 billion by 2035 opening up new opportunities and societal benefits while cutting down on conventional barriers.
India Mobile Congress (IMC), which claims to be the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, is jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
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