At the fourth edition of the India Mobile Congress 2020 on Tuesday, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani has announced that Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited will be rolling out 5G technology in the second half of 2021 in India.
“India is today among the best digitally connected nations in the world. In order to maintain this lead, policy steps are needed to accelerate the early rollout of 5G and to make it affordable and available everywhere. I assure you that Jio will pioneer the 5G Revolution in India in the second half of 2021. It will be powered by the indigenous-developed network, hardware and technology component,” Ambani said in his keynote address.
On July 16, 2020, Ambani had announced that Jio had created a complete 5G solution from scratch that will enable Jio to launch world-class 5G service in India, using 100% homegrown technology and solutions. “This Made in India 5G solution will be ready for trial as soon as 5G spectrum is available can be ready for field deployment next year,” Ambani said at Reliance’s 43rd Annual General Meeting.
Although RIL has been talking of providing 5G service in India for a while now, its competition Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea Ltd said that it would take at least two years for the technology to arrive in India as the country does not have the necessary ecosystem and the 5G spectrum’s reserve price is very high.
Meanwhile, at the India Mobile Congress 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out that all telecom stakeholders must work side by side to ensure the timely rollout of 5G technology, adding that the new technology will empower millions of Indians. “We need to work together to ensure a timely roll out of 5G to leapfrog into the future and empower millions of Indians,” said PM Modi.
The India Mobile Congress is a digital technologies forum in South Asia and India. The event is a three-day international convention and exhibition affair. This year, with the Covid-19 pandemic still surging across the world, the India Mobile Congress will be held virtually from December 8 to December 10.
