Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and industry leaders Mukesh Ambani of Reliance, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Airtel and Kumar Mangalam Birla of Vodafone Idea were present at the launch event in New Delhi.
To get a firsthand experience of what 5G can do, PM Modi visited the pavilions set up by various telecom operators and technology providers. He spent time understanding the indigenous development of end-to-end 5G technology. He termed the launch of 5G as a gift from the telecom industry to 130 crore Indians.
5G telecom services seek to provide seamless coverage, high data rates, low latency and highly reliable communication systems. This is expected to lead to massive reforms in many areas such as online education, mining, warehousing and telemedicine.
The commercial rollout in 13 cities in the initial phase is expected around Diwali.
Here are the key points from the 5G launch event, how it is going to change the user experience and PM Modi’s address:
- The country’s three major telecom operators – Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea – showcased the various use cases of 5G technology in India to the Prime Minister at the launch event on Saturday.
- The PM saw the ‘True 5G’ device at the stall of Reliance Jio and experienced the use case through Jio Glass.
- The success of Digital India is based on 4 pillars which include cost of device, digital connectivity, data cost and digital first approach. We worked on all of them: PM Modi
- “With developments in technology and telecommunications, India will lead the Industry 4.0 revolution. This is not India’s decade, but India’s century,” the Prime Minister said in his address.
- Connectivity is one of the major strengths of the communication sector. In 2014, the number of broadband users was only 60 million, today it is more than 800 million: PM
- The PM reminded how data has been made affordable through various innovations. “Earlier the cost of 1GB data was around Rs 300, now it has come down to Rs 10 per GB
- India is now a player in the global mobile market with exports of thousands of crores: PM Modi
- Digital India has given a place to every citizen. Even the smallest street vendors are using the facility of UPI: PM Modi
- Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone-Idea will initially launch 5G in a few cities across the country, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.
- According to the Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnav, 5G tariffs will be at par with 4G prepaid plans. While a hike in tariff cannot be ruled out, industry leaders believe that this will not cause much concern to the customers.
Read: Why a sub-6GHz 5G network is more important than mmWave
What is 5G?
5G is the next generation mobile network capability that can facilitate the transmission of large sets of data at high speeds. 5G has low latency (the ability to process a certain amount of data with minimal latency), with the potential to be 10 times faster than 4G. The 5G rollout is expected to drive further developments in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine and manufacturing. Another area where 5G will benefit customers is edge computing.
Will 4G sim work in 5G phone?
To get 5G connectivity, you must have a 5G-enabled smartphone/tablet. A report states that 9.7% of the smartphones used in India are 5G-enabled. When 4G was launched, telecom providers started giving 4G SIM cards to people in India. Thanks to technology, we will not need to line-up or apply for a new SIM to avail 5G services.
A 4G SIM can work in a 5G-powered phone, however, so you won’t be able to take full advantage of the 5G capabilities. To get the most out of 5G network, it is necessary to have a 5G SIM with a 5G phone.
watch PM Modi launches 5G services, says ‘India will lead Industry Revolution 4.0’