The 5G spectrum auction recently concluded in India, with Jio taking the most spectrum, followed by Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and the new entrant: Adani Group. Following this, 5G was said to officially launch on August 15 but there now may be a launch date. Here are the details.
5G Rollout in India to Start on This Day!
People close to the matter have revealed (via BusinessLine) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially launch 5G services in India on September 29, which is when the yearly Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 event will commence. This is a 3-day event, which takes place at Pragati Maidan.
To recall, this was previously expected to happen on August 15 as an initial rollout. 5G is expected to reach some cities as part of the first phase of rollout in October and will eventually reach more places soon. The proper commercial availability is expected to happen in a year or two.
The reason for the slight could be to better prepare the telecom operators for the 5G rollout in at least a few cities.
An unknown senior government official, in a statement to BusinessLine, said, “September 29 will be the first day of the IMC and the Prime Minister is likely to launch the 5G services commercially, where all telecom operators and their vendors will be showcasing the 5G technology. There will also be global players at the three-day event to be held between September 29 and October 1 at Pragati Maidan.”
It is further revealed that this year’s Independence Day could see some announcements related to 5G in India, including a talk on the recent 5G spectrum auction.
To recall, the Indian Government got around Rs 1.5 lakh crore in the auction, which is almost double of Rs 77,815 crore worth 4G airwaves sold previously. It is also suggested that 5G prices in India will be competitive, much like 4G. It remains to be seen when the actual 5G rollout starts in India. We are expecting more details on this. So, stay tuned. Meanwhile, do check out our stories on 5G bands in India or 5Gi, which is also expected to be introduced soon, in case you want to know more about this!
