India to rollout 5G across urban and rural regions 12-18 months
The government’s initiatives to boost local manufacturing through the Production Linked Incentives (PLI) program, positioning India as a manufacturing hub for telecom equipment, says Founder and Chairman of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal.
“We are committed to reducing our dependence on imports. With initiatives like the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) program, we are transforming India into a manufacturing hub for telecom equipment,” he said at the International Telecommunication Union – World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (ITU-WTSA) 2024 opening in New Delhi on 15 Oct fieo.org .
Discussing future ambitions, Mittal announced that India is set to lead in 5G technology, with extensive rollouts planned across urban and rural regions within the next 12 to 18 months bseindia .
Mittal also discussed the potential of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) networks, stating, “These networks will bridge the connectivity gap in our most challenging terrains, ensuring all Indians have access to fast internet services nseindia .”
Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla highlighted the steadfast support by the government in consistently recognizing the importance of digital connectivity and introducing several reforms over the years to drive India towards an even more connected, empowered and inclusive digital nation sbi.com.in .
He lauded the government’s continued thrust on expanding digital infrastructure and accelerating digital adoption for people and businesses equally.
Birla expressed, on behalf of industry stakeholders, to stay committed to providing maximum support by promoting digital transformation to India’s small businesses making them future ready.
He laid emphasis on focus on technologies like 5G, IoT, AI and cloud services and expressed the belief that a thriving digital ecosystem can be created that empowers India’s MSMEs to drive economic growth.
He informed that India achieved the remarkable feat of 10 crore telecommunication consultations in tele-medicine.
Pointing out one of the most pressing issues being addressed by the government regulator and industry in the past year, Birla touched upon spam control and fraud protection.
The mega gathering was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 Oct.
Talking about the potential of the Indian telecom sector, the PM expressed confidence that they would do their part with the continued support of the government, and help in realizing the Prime Minister’s digital India destiny.
Indian has not just seen telecom as a means of connectivity but as a medium of equity and opportunity, and this medium is helping bridge the gap between villages and cities, and between the rich and the poor, he said.
The Prime Minister elaborated. “We identified four pillars of Digital India. First, the cost of devices should be low. Second, digital connectivity should reach every corner of the country. Third, data should be accessible to everyone. And fourth, our goal should be ‘Digital First.’ We started working on all four pillars simultaneously, and we have seen the results.”
India today boasts for over 200 mobile phone manufacturing units. “Earlier, we used to import most phones, but now we are producing six times more phones in Bharat, and we are recognised as a mobile exporter.
But we have not stopped there. Now, from chips to finished products, we are working towards providing the world with a completely Made-in-India phone.”
Secretary General ITU, Doreen Bogdan Martin, the congress was a powerful symbol of the deep ties between the ITU and India.
Bogdan Martin further added that trust nurtures inclusion and inclusion can unlock the full potential of digital and emerging technologies for everyone, including the third of humanity that’s still offline.
She noted that this is a first-of-its-kind meet in Asia and called for bold collective action. She expressed confidence that in the next 10 days the role of international standards can be strengthened as the bedrock of global digital governance.
She also touched upon ethical use of AI and urged to align technological progress with digital inclusion. Fiinews.com
