The CEOs of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Kumar Mangalam Birla, respectively, spoke during the sixth India Mobile Congress, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the nation's first 5G services.
Digital Desk: According to statements made on October 1 by the heads of both businesses, Airtel would launch 5G services across the country by March 2024 and Vodafone Idea will follow suit "in the next term."
The CEOs of Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, Sunil Bharti Mittal and Kumar Mangalam Birla, respectively, spoke during the sixth India Mobile Congress, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the nation's first 5G services.
The entire nation will get 5G service by March 2024, according to Mittal, Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, which includes Bharti Airtel. "Bharti Airtel is working with speed and courage to offer 5G services to many cities by March 2023," Mittal added.
Of the 13 cities where 5G services are being made available as of October 1, Airtel is introducing them in eight Indian cities, Mittal continued.
The top 3 telcos, except Vodafone Idea, did not provide a particular date for the nationwide rollout of 5G services.
"We will leverage our strong presence in rural India, our enterprise customers, our technology partners, and the global expertise of the Vodafone group," said Birla, the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, which owns a minority stake in Vodafone Idea. "We will gradually roll out our 5G network and services in the coming period."
Birla stated, of the 240 million people linked to the company's networks, 50% live in rural India. He emphasised that the company's networks have been continuously improved to enable a seamless and quick transition to 5G.
Betting on 5G
Both Mittal and Birla emphasised the value of 5G services for India. To promote inclusive growth and prosperity in rural India, Birla emphasised how 5G will speed up immersive education, remote health care, and smart agriculture.
According to him, the introduction of 5G services will allow the nation to reach a $5 trillion GDP within a few years, with the digital economy contributing $1 trillion to that total.
Both expressed gratitude to the government for recognising the industry's contribution to the pandemic and for facilitating the rollout of 5G. Mittal asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi possessed an unprecedented level of technical knowledge.
He added, saying that after being disproven in his former belief that electronic manufacturing will never gain traction in the nation, he is now certain that it is.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India jointly organised the four-day IMC, which is billed as the largest telecom, media, and technology gathering in Asia (COAI).
As per GSM Group (GSMA), the international industry association that represents over 750 mobile network operators, 5G is anticipated to generate $455 billion for the Indian economy between 2023 and 2040.
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