October 1 — With a view to providing “internet for all” the Government of India today launched the much-awaited 5G services at the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress.
Speaking at the inauguration of 5G services, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi said, “A new India – the country is no longer just a consumer of technology but a contributor in its development too.”
India’s three major telecom operators – Reliance, Airtel and Vodafone Idea – each demonstrated one use case in front of the prime minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India.
“5G is much more than the next generation of technology. It actually unlocks the potential of other technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Robotics, Blockchain, and Metaverse,” said Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD of Reliance Industries, while addressing the event.
Reliance Jio is expected to launch its 5G service around Diwali, later this month.
Sunil Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, which promotes Airtel said, “With the advent of 5G, I’m sure that the country will add many more unicorns in the world.”
Airtel is the first to launch its 5G service in India, kicking off services in eight Indian cities.
Vodafone Idea is also expected to launch its 5G service very soon in India.
The launch of 5G in India marks a crucial milestone and will be a game changer in accelerating India’s journey towards digital transformation. As an enabler of the next wave of digitalization, 5G will not only catalyze new opportunities for the telecom industry but also for enterprises across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, retail, mining among others. It has the potential to improve productivity, optimize service quality and reduce costs, leading to increased economic output and better consumer experiences. At Accenture, we are committed to helping telcos and enterprises navigate the 5G ecosystem by combining our deep industry expertise, breadth of technology capabilities and experience of enabling digital transformation at scale to meet their innovation and growth agenda.
Saurabh Kumar Sahu, Managing Director and Lead – Communications, Media and Technology, Accenture In India said, “5G with its superior speed and throughput benefits combined with the latest technologies, has the potential to transform telcos into enablers of the metaverse. Telcos enjoy the advantage of having a large subscriber base, and that gives them the inherent ability to bring more people and innovative solutions to life – on the metaverse. To unlock the full spectrum of opportunities within the metaverse, telcos must act now by expanding beyond traditional connectivity services to new capabilities and operating models.”
Manish Vyas, President, Communications, Media and Entertainment Business, and CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra said, “5G ecosystem will unlock immense opportunities for industries across sectors, allowing them to experiment with myriad ideas to innovate and fuel the next level of growth possibilities. 5G is not just a generational leap in Network technology, it is a platform for Innovation. I often say that 5G is like the last piece of the Industry 4.0 jigsaw puzzle, that will spearhead the next wave of digital disruption, taking us a step closer to realizing our dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat and technological supremacy. We are extremely excited about 5G and would like to congratulate the government and the people of India on this momentous day that has made 5G a reality.”
