India's 5G roll-out among fastest in the world: Nokia CEO
India is making impressive progress in its 5G network roll-out, with Nokia President and CEO Pekka Lundmark, revealing that the country ranks among the top three nations with the largest 5G installed base. At the opening of Nokia's 6G research lab in Bengaluru, Lundmark highlighted India's speedy advancements, pointing out that its 5G download speeds even outpace those in many advanced markets. This success has helped counterbalance declines in telecom gear shipments for Nokia.
Inauguration of Nokia's 6G research lab
Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated Nokia's first-of-its-kind 6G research lab in Bengaluru via a virtual event. The lab's mission is to speed up the development of fundamental technologies and innovative use cases supported by 6G technology, addressing future needs across various industries and society. It will also serve as a platform for collaboration among industry stakeholders and enable the testing of innovative solutions while determining their potential for commercialization.
India's contributions to global 6G technology standards
Nokia's Bengaluru center aims to help India make significant contributions to global 6G technology standards. The company is currently establishing research collaborations with top research institutes in India, such as IISc and IITs, to further expand the 6G research initiative. Last month, India's vision for widespread 6G coverage was accepted by the UN body ITU's Study Group, a development expected to lower the cost of deploying next-generation technology.
Investments by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel
In the current financial year, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are projected to invest around $10 billion to bolster their 5G networks, as reported by JM Financial. The investment breakdown is estimated at $5.6 billion for Jio and $4.4 billion for Bharti Airtel. These investments are expected to decrease once their 5G network roll-out goals are achieved.
