High level panel set up to develop road map for 5G roll-out by 2020

The government has constituted a high level committee with a mandate to develop a road map for the roll-out of fifth-generation telecom technology by 2020.

"We have created a high-level 5G committee that will work on vision mission and goals of 5G. When the world will roll out 5G in 2020, I believe India will be on a par with them," telecom minister Manoj Sinha said.

"The primary goals of the forum are to achieve early deployment of 5G in India and a globally competitive product development and manufacturing ecosystem targeting 50 per cent of India market and 10 per cent of the global market over next five to seven years," he added.

The high-level forum will comprise secretaries of ministries of communications, information technology, and science & technology. For India, 5G offers an opportunity for the industry to reach out to global markets, and with countries across the world that launching similar forums, to join the 5G technologies race.

Meanwhile, the maiden India Mobile Congress (IMC) kicked off at Delhi's Pragati Maidan with minister of state (independent charge) for communications, Manoj Sinha, inaugurating it today.

Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan and top executives from the telecom industry converged at the programme, which is expected to create a platform for India's strong definitive voice in global communication forum.

Sinha said at the event: ''We are proud to say that our country is now hosting its own first-ever mobile, internet and technology event - The India Mobile Congress. We are hopeful that this will be a huge platform for mobile and internet technology sector in the sub-continent.

"India is currently the second largest telecom market in the world with 1.2 billion consumers. Investment in the sector has increased 220 per cent in the last four years. Telecom creates four million direct and indirect jobs.

"Connecting the next billion Indians to the worldwide web is the single biggest opportunity in India. The word is digital, becoming synonymous with every aspect of our daily life.

"For India, 5G provides an opportunity for the industry to reach out to the global market. India has constituted a high level 5G forum."