India a guiding star in 5G

We are entering an era of innovation with an expanding 5G ecosystem that is learning how to take advantage of the technical capabilities of this great technology. The top telcos in the country, Reliance Jio and Airtel, are working tirelessly to undertake one of the fastest global roll-outs of 5G services in any country just a month down the line.

A top UK-based grouping of global mobile carriers has expressed enthusiasm over the emerging business opportunity around 5G services in India. India's market has changed much in the last five years. There are certainly some stakeholders and investors (that are) looking to participate, who do have confidence that this is a great place for the future of 5G.

The fact is while the rest of the world moves towards 5G, a lot of countries would start to look at India as a guiding star in 5G, contrary to the traditional domination by the US and China.

In India's first-ever 5G spectrum sale, the government sold 71% of the total 72,098 GHz of airwaves put to auction for Rs 1,50,173 crore. Jio spent a whopping Rs 88,078 crore on 5G airwaves, while Airtel and VI bought 5 G spectrum worth Rs 43,084 crore and Rs 18,799 crore, respectively.

Going forward, Jio and Airtel will launch 5G services next month, while Vi is yet to set a firm timeline as it's yet to raise fresh loans and conclude 5G network gear procurement contracts. Airtel, which has opted for the NSA mode, is targeting a pan-India 5G rollout by March 2024. Jio has chosen the SA mode for its countrywide 5G rollout.

S Mohini Ratna, Editor, VARINDIA