New Delhi: India is in the final stages of the development of a fifth-generation telecom network and the country is also participating in the development of a sixth-generation (6G) telecom network, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.
Addressing the India Telecom 2022 international business expo, Vaishnaw said the country has developed its own 4G core and radio network and is in the process of developing the 6G network. Rajaraman, Chairman DCC and Secretary (T), Department of Telecommunications confirmed that the testing of a wholly Indian design, Indian 4G stack was in the final stages of development which was expected to be rolled out in the next few months.
The top officer in the department said the 5G technology, which was in the final stages of development, would play a crucial role in evolving the tech industry.
5G spectrum auction to take place this year
“5G would pave the way for bringing new used cases to life that can lead to a proliferation of FinTech solutions in the Indian as well as in Global markets, 5G equipment are being manufactured in India for the world,” said the officer. In her budget speech on February 1, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had confirmed that the government would auction the radio waves (telecom spectrum) for 5G network this year that would pave the way for telecom service providers to launch their fifth-generation telecom services to the consumers.
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“Telecommunication in general, and 5G technology in particular, can enable growth and offer job opportunities. Required spectrum auctions will be conducted in 2022 to facilitate the rollout of 5G mobile services within 2022-23 by private telecom providers,” Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech. Later, Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed that the government planned to hold the auction for the 5G network by August this year, which will enable the rollout of technology for ordinary users.
The minister had said the recommendations of the telecom sector regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the technology and auction method was expected to be received by March-end. Addressing the same event, Devusinh Chauhan, minister of state for communications, said the Government has made an ambitious plan for taking optical fiber to all 6 lacs villages. “We have reached to 2.6 lacs villages and Department of Telecom plans to achieve the target by 2025. This will also bridge the digital divide,” Chauhan told the audience.
