Telecom shifts gear as PM launches 5G services

The three major telecom operators of the country demonstrated one use case each to show the potential of 5G technology in India. Industry leaders expressed their views on this historic occasion.

Reliance Jio connected a teacher from a school in Mumbai, with students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. This demonstrated how 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer to students, obliviating the physical distance between them. It also demonstrated the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach children across the country, remotely, without the need for an AR device. The prime minister interacted with students from Dnyanjyoti Savitribai Phule School, Raigad, Maharashtra in the presence of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. 

Students from Ropda Primary School, Gandhinagar, Gujarat connected in presence of Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel. The prime minister also interacted with students from SLS Memorial School, Myurbhanj, Odisha in the presence of Odisha chief minister Navin Patnaik.  

Abhimanyu Basu, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, BKC, Mumbai also demonstrated the use of 5G technology. 

Vodafone Idea test case demonstrated the safety of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro through the creation of a Digital Twin of the tunnel on the dais. Digital Twin will help give safety alerts to workers in real time from a remote location. PM took a live demo from the dais to monitor the work in real-time through utilising VR and Artificial Intelligence. 

In the Airtel demo, students from Dankaur, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a lively and immersive education experience to learn about the solar system with the help of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. A student, Khushi, shared her experience of learning with the PM by appearing on the dais through a hologram. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adiyanath connected from Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi. 

Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani thanked the prime minister for inspiring the vision of a developed nation by 2047. He narrated the possibilities of 5G in key areas like education, education and climate etc.  

Bharti Enterprise chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal remarked that the launch of 5G is the beginning of a new era and since it is happening during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, it makes it even more special. 

Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman, Aditya Birla Group, called the advent of 5G a transformational event that proves India’s prowess on the global stage and reiterates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of India's growth. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his vision and leadership for a generational leap in technology that has resulted in India making a mark on the global stage. 

Addressing the gathering the prime minister said the summit might be global but its repercussions and directions are local. He said today is a special day for the fast-developing India of the 21st century. “Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom industry of the country.  5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country. 

“5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian for this.”, he added. He noted with satisfaction that in this launch of 5G and the march of technology, rural areas and workers are equal partners.

He recounted the seamless continuation of DBT, education, vaccination and health services, and work-from-home during the pandemic when many countries were finding it difficult to keep these services going.

The prime minister said when the government works with clean intentions, the intentions of citizens also undergo change. “This is the key difference in the intention (niyat) of 2G and 5G”, he remarked.

Bharti Airtel become the first telecom company to launch 5G services in the country. The 5G service will be available in eight cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore and other cities," Mittal said. from Saturday, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said while addressing the sixth edition of Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022. 

To begin with, Reliance Jio will launch 5G services in four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said, adding that Jio will bring 5G services to all Indians by December 2023. 

Beleaguered Vodafone Idea said its 5G rollout journey will begin soon. However, it failed to specify launch date or, coverage timeline.  

Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani on Saturday announced that Jio will bring 5G services to all Indians by December 2023. Addressing the sixth edition of IMC, Ambani said that Jio will ensure that "every village will enjoy 5G services by December 2023, as Jio sets to begin the roll out of 5G. 

Jio 5G will be the world`s largest and most advanced 5G network. Unlike other operators, Jio`s 5G network will be stand alone with zero dependency on 4G network.