India approved 5G network trials without Chinese OEMs last month and the Department of Telecom (DoT) allocated spectrum for 5G trials to Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vi (Vodafone Idea), BSNL, and MTNL soon after. While we are still waiting for the commercial rollout of 5G in India, a new report sheds light on the possible date for 5G availability in the country.
Possible Date for 5G Rollout in India
According to a new report from The Hindu Business Line citing a government official familiar with the matter, the government is likely to commercially launch 5G in India on August 15, 2022 – the 75th anniversary of Independence.
“The 5G network would start around August next year and the PM may launch it officially on August 15. The major surprise of the launch will be that you will find a lot of Indian technology – be it in hardware or software – in it. As you are aware, India is very strong in software, so many technologies will be dependent on our local software companies. They will be the backbone,” sources told The Hindu Business Line.
The report mentions that major companies, including Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and Qualcomm are working on 5G hardware in India. When asked about the omission of Huawei and ZTE, the official said, “There are many other companies that are developing 5G technology for the world…many local players are also capable.”
While a report from The Economic Times citing a senior government official last month suggested that 5G auctions are likely to get pushed to the first quarter of 2022, the new report from Business Line claims that India will conduct 5G auctions later this year. Well yeah, it seems like you will be able to use 5G services on your new 5G-enabled phones in India very soon.
