'Lucky 13': These Indian cities will get 5G before everyone
What's the story
India is on the verge of entering the 5G era. Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked service providers to gear up for the 5G launch.
The launch will reportedly be in a phased manner. In the first phase, 13 cities will get high-speed internet service.
During his Independence Day speech, PM Narendra Modi had said that India would get 5G sooner than expected.
Context
Why does this story matter?
If all goes well, we are only a few days away from being ushered into the 5G age. Unfortunately, not all of us will get it at the same time.
That's okay, though. By March 2024, almost all of India will have 5G coverage.
The switch to 5G will play an important role in India's digital aspirations.
Rollout
Airtel and Jio may launch 5G services by August-end
The Centre will reportedly officially launch 5G on September 29 during the inauguration of the Indian Mobile Congress. However, chances are that we'll see the rollout of 5G services much before that.
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio could debut their service by the end of this month.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has confirmed that the service will be first introduced in 13 cities.
Information
Which cities will receive 5G in the first phase?
The launch of 5G services in India will be in a phased manner. In the first phase, only 13 cities will receive the service. These include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune.
All set
DoT has already issued spectrum assignment letters
The 5G spectrum auction ended on August 1. Since then, the DoT has received payments of around Rs. 17,876 crore from TSPs including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Adani Data Network for the spectrum they won.
In a first, the ministry has already issued assignment letters to those who made payments. This means that service providers can launch once they are ready.
PM's words
5G was supposed to be launched on August 15
The launch of 5G in India was earlier set for August 15. However, a lack of preparedness from TSPs and their vendors delayed the official debut.
On August 15, the PM said, "India's techade is here! With 5G, semiconductor manufacturing, and Optical Fiber Cable (OFCs) in villages, we are bringing a revolution through Digital India to the grassroots level."