KM Birla hails 5G launch in India, calls it a 'generational leap'

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, said that the launch of 5G was the beginning of an exciting journey for India. He said that India has today witnessed a generational leap in technology. KM Birla who had stepped down as non-executive director and non-executive chairman from Vodafone Idea’s board in August last year, spoke of the telecom company’s plans for 5G. He added that the company has upgraded the network for seamless and swift transition to 5G.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2022 after the launch of the ultra high-speed internet services in the nation, Birla said, “We have today witnessed a generational leap in technology. This is a leap that demonstrates India’s prowess on the global stage, and reinforces the telecom industry’s role as the bedrock of Digital India.”

KM Birla said that the telecom industry has been one of the country’s key growth engines, catapulting India into the top 5 economies of the world. “It continues to play a transformational role, touching every aspect of our daily life and work. Today we are set to make a giant leap into the future,” he said. 

Also read: 5G launched in India: PM Modi says 5G services a major step for Digital India, Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Calling the Modi government’s policies “reformist and futuristic”, KM Birla said that the telecom company is committed to the vision of building the digital infrastructure for the ‘India of tomorrow’.  

The telecom industry will further ignite the digital dreams of 1.3 billion Indians and thousands of enterprises with the launch of the 5G services, said Birla. The industrialist predicted that the digital economy would contribute a trillion dollar to the $5 trillion dollar economy that India was gearing up to become in the coming years. 

“5G will augment services at scale and create impact in critical areas like Industry 4.0, automated manufacturing, smart cities, smart automobiles, smart homes, immersive gaming, and other innovative businesses and consumer solutions. 5G will also accelerate immersive education, remote health and smart agriculture to enable inclusive growth and prosperity in rural India,” he said. Birla also said that government policies and platforms such as Gati Shakti and Make in India will play a crucial role in catalysing the required investment into the telecom sector. 

Thanking PM Modi, KM Birla said that the government has made critical policy interventions, boosting investor confidence in the sector. “We hope to receive continued policy support to drive the 5G revolution in this digital decade,” said Birla. 

“Vodafone Idea has 214 million citizens connected to our networks with 50 per cent of them in rural India. Our networks have been constantly upgraded to be capable of smooth and swift migration to 5G. Having taken concrete steps for the 5G ecosystem development, 5G use cases for Indian enterprises and consumers and acquisition of 5G spectrum in a very well-designed auction, we will soon begin the 5G roll out journey. We will leverage our strong presence in rural India, our enterprise customers, our technology partners and global experience of the Vodafone Group for progressively rolling out our 5G networks and services in the coming period,” he added. 

Speaking about the unique use cases of 5G that Vodafone Idea demonstrated, Birla underscored the need for safe working conditions for workers at infrastructure and construction sites. 

“I believe the launch of 5G services marks the beginning of an exciting journey for India. As the ecosystem evolves, we will see limitless potential for 5G development and use cases in the years to come,” said KM Birla. 

Also read: 5G launch in India: Mukesh Ambani’s 5 goals to transform nation with the ultra high-speed internet services

Also read: 5G launch in India: Vodafone Idea displays Digital Twin solution at a construction site