Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launch the 5G telephony services in India at the India Mobile Congress 2022 in Delhi's Pragati Maidan. This will usher an era of ultra high-speed internet for the nation. It has been launched for a few cities on Saturday but will progressively cover the rest of the country in the next couple of years. 5G technology will provide seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications. It will increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency.
The cumulative economic impact of 5G on India is estimated to reach $450 billion by 2035.
The fifth generation or 5G services is expected to bring new economic opportunities as well as societal benefits to the nation. Three telecom majors – Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea – put in their bids along with the Adani Group in the spectrum auction for 5G.
Follow the LIVE updates on 5G launch in India here:
12:42 pm: "India will lead the Industry 4.0 revolution. This is not the decade of India, but the century of India," said PM Modi.
12:40 pm: Even the smallest street vendor is using facility of UPI, said PM Modi.
12:36 pm: Cost of 1BG data used to be Rs 300 earlier, but has come down to Rs 10 now. On an average an Indian consumes 14GB data every month. While this would have cost about Rs 4,200 per month earlier, this costs around Rs 125-150 right now, said PM Modi.
12:31 pm: "Digital India's success is based on four pillars including cost of device, digital connectivity, data costs and digital first approach. We worked on all of them," said PM Modi.
12:25 pm: EARLIER IN THE DAY:
12:19 pm: New India will lead the technological advancements in the world, and not just remain a mere consumer of technology, said PM Modi.
12:16 pm: PM Modi: Launch of 5G is a gift from the telecom industry to 130 crore Indians. It is a step towards the new era in the country, is the beginning of infinite opportunities.
12:12 pm: "130 crore Indians are being gifted 5G by Indian telecom Industry. I am proud that villagers and schools in remote areas will be connected via 5G. India will not just be a consumer of 5G but will also help in its growth," said PM Modi.
12:08 pm: Historic day for 21st century of India. 5G technology will revolutionize the telecom sector: PM Modi
12:07 pm: PM Modi delivers his keynote speech at the India Mobile Congress 2022.
12:05 pm: "Technology nasha hai, aap log reel dekhenge aur ma ko lagega padhai kar rhi hogi (Technology is an addiction, you will be watching a reel and your mother will think you are studying)," PM Modi tells student.
12:01 pm: Prime Minister Modi launching 5G services in India, ushering a new era in the nation.
12:00 pm: School students of SDS School, Haryana, share their experience of learning through metaverse.
11:55 am: PM Modi interacts with a construction worker of the Delhi Metro through 5G.
11:45 am: Bestselling author Amish Tripathi presents the education use case through 5G from Mumbai.
11:39 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches 5G services in India.
11:34 am: "5G will make India $5 trillion economy, $1 trillion coming just from Digital India," said Kumar Mangalam Birla at IMC.
11:33 am: Bharti Airtel will bring 5G across India by 2024 March. Airtel will start 5G in 5 cities today including Delhi and Munbai.
11:32 am: Mukesh Ambani helped propel growth of 4G, and made us also work harder to catch-up with Jio, said Sunil Mittal.
11:30 am: "PM Modi understands technology and realises it's importance," said Sunil Mittal.
11:29 am: "A new era to start in India with 5G. New opportunities will open for every Indian with 5G," said Sunil Bharti Mittal.
11:23 am: We may have started late but we will take 5G to all corners to make India into a smart society: Mukesh Ambani
11:21 am: The rollout of 5G in India carries the keen expectations and high aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. With 5G, India will take longer and faster strides towards Sab Ka Digital Saath and Sab Ka Digital Vikas: Mukesh Ambani
11:20 am: "By bringing AI into every domain, 5G can power India’s emergence as the World’s Intelligence Capital. This will help India become a major exporter of high-value digital solutions and services," says Mukesh Ambani.
11:17 am: 5G is the foundational technology to unlock the full potential of other technologies like AI and blockchain: Mukesh Ambani
11:15 am: "The Indian Mobile Congress has become a global telecoms event": Mukesh Ambani
11:14 am: "5G will impact education, health, agriculture, and others. Rs 35,000 crore have been sanctioned to take 5G to last mile," said Vaishnaw.
11:13 am: "Telecom is the gateway to Digital India. PM considers telecom as a strategic sector, It used to be stuck in litigation, now it is a sunrise industry," said Vaishnaw.
11:12 am: "Proactive efforts by the government have transformed the telecoms sector into a sunrise sector": Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
11:05 am: "A historic day for the country, 5G will be launched for country by PM Modi. It will increase ease of living for citizens, and ease of doing business for corporate. Telecom industry will propel us into futuristic time," said Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan, MoS, Communications.
11:02 am: PM Modi and Ashwini Vaishnaw reach the assembly area for the inauguration of the four-day India Mobile Congress.
10:50 am: Besides powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), 5G can enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, among others.
10:40 am: PM Modi witnessed the True 5G devices displayed at the pavilion and experienced the use cases through Jio Glass. He also spent time understanding the indigenous development of end-to-end 5G technology by a team of young Jio engineers, and how 5G can help bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare delivery. Also present were Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, MoS Telecom Sh Devusinh Chauhan, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani and RJIL Chairman Akash Ambani.
10:30 am: PM Modi checks out a driving simulator in the Sony Ericsson paviliom at the IMC exhibition area.
10:20 am: 5G applications in agriculture is the highlight of Bharti Airtel stall
10:10 am: PM Modi and Telecoms Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw go around the stalls of telecom startups at IMC exhibition.
10:00 am: The telecom operators will demonstrate one use case each in front of PM Modi to show the potential of the 5G services. In Reliance Jio’s demonstration, a teacher from a Mumbai school will connect to students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha, showing how 5G will facilitate education by removing the barrier of distance. It will demonstrate the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that can be used to teach children across the country, remotely, without the need of an AR device.
Airtel will demonstrate how 5G can be used for smart farming, and manning a hospital control room.
The Vodafone Idea test case will demonstrate the safety of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro to show how 5G can issue safety alerts to workers in real-time from a remote location.Also read: PM Modi to launch 5G services tomorrow; all you need to know