The telecom operators of the country, along with the government, have expressed the importance of the role that 5G will play in India. In the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2021 event jointly organised by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), K Rajaraman, Chairman DCC & Secretary, DoT, said, India wants to achieve self-reliance when it comes to network technologies, especially 5G.
At the same time, if the companies are sourcing network equipment from outside companies, the government wants the equipment to be produced locally to create more jobs and boost the economy. Rajaraman said a large number of telecom start-ups have already created innovative 5G solutions that are specially tailored for India, and because of this, the government is confident about building an AtmaNirbhar 5G ecosystem in India.
Telcos Shine Light at the Importance of 5G
Sanjay Mashruwala, MD, Reliance Jio, said 5G could play the role of an important tool for the agriculture sector of India by providing access to advanced tools and applications.
Akhil Gupta, VC, Bharti Enterprises Limited, said it is important to ensure that 5G isn’t just limited to the big cities and that in the years to come, 5G should be taken to every part of the country.
Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India, said, 5G can reduce the global carbon emissions by up to 15% by 2030. This can be possible because 5G will help with reducing the energy consumption of network radio by 35%. Mirtillo said Ericsson is partnering up with various Cloud providers and Hyperscalers for exploring successful use cases of 5G in India.
The telcos have also asked for affordable and adequate 5G spectrum from the government. The 5G spectrum auctions are expected to take place during the second quarter of CY22. The government is yet to announce an updated National Frequency Allocation Policy (NFAP).
