Affordable 5G services to roll out in India by October 12: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union minister for Communications and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced that most parts of the country will have access to high-speed 5G services in the next two to three years. He further added that significant sectors will also have a stable network rollout by October 12.

The union minister said that India has some of the most affordable mobile plans in the world, and the trend will continue with 5G services during a press conference.

 "We expect that the industry will receive investments worth Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh crore. This is also generating several excellent jobs. In the following two to three years, 5G will reportedly be available practically every corner of the nation”.

According to reports, the first phase of the implementation of 5G high-speed internet would cover 13 major Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune.

The union minister also announced new Right of Way (RoW) regulations, which effectively specify fees charged for laying cables, getting access to public poles, and other activities.

When it comes to getting approval for implementing the infrastructure, the new regulations provide support to the private sector.

 Vaishnaw said  "RoW approvals used to take 343 days, but today they only take 22 days. The average in July of last year was 16 days, which was even better. This is a clear result of the prime minister's reform initiatives."

The government is certain that the amended ROW will make it possible for businesses to provide reasonably priced 5G services across the nation.

Vaishnaw stated that up to Rs 60,000 crore in investments had already been made in India's 5G telecom industry.