5G networks in India already reached more than 700 districts across the country, with 446,000 5G base stations
The upcoming union budget may announce initiatives for the development of India’s 5G ecosystem, as well as funds for more research and development in the 6G field, local newspaper Business Standard reported, citing officials from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
India’s union budget is expected to be announced on July 23.
In the budget approved in 2023, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the setting up of 100 labs for the development of 5G applications. In April, the DoT launched an experimental license module for 100 5G labs and it has granted around 1,500 experimental licenses for 5G labs so far.
Indian carriers Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm have been rapidly expanding 5G networks across India. According to the report, 5G networks in India already reached more than 700 districts across the country, with 446,000 5G base stations.
The report also stated that India had more than 180 million 5G users at the end of March, with 108 million 5G customers using Reliance Jio Infocomm’s network and 72 million 5G subscribers using Airtel’s network infrastructure.
Last month, the Indian government raised a total of INR 113.4 billion ($1.3 billion) in a delayed spectrum auction through which it sold a total of 141 megahertz of spectrum across eight bands, including 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 2.1 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 26 GHz.
Local carrier Bharti Airtel was the top bidder in the auction. The carrier spent a total of INR 68.6 billion to acquire 97 megahertz of spectrum, followed by Vodafone Idea which acquired frequencies for a total of INR 35.1 billion and Reliance Jio Infocomm, who spent nearly INR 10 billion to secure additional 5G frequencies.
The new 5G spectrum will be assigned for 20 years and successful bidders will be allowed to make payments in 20 equal annual installments, according to India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The report also noted that DoT’s officials said that 5G infrastructure will be foundational in building 6G technology, which will introduce a new array of solutions. As a result, the finance minister is expected to mention the Bharat 6G vision in her speech, as well as initiatives for future 6G systems.
Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharat 6G Alliance is an initiative of the Indian industry, academia, national research institutions and standards organizations; its focus is on designing, developing and deploying technology for future 6G systems, through promotion of an ecosystem for research, design, development, field testing, security, certification and manufacturing of telecom solutions.
“Around 2030 is a reasonable time frame to expect the very first 6G live network. With the 6G Bharat vision, India has positioned itself as a significant player in shaping 6G technology standards. However, incremental policy initiatives, and further investments in R&D is needed to see the goal through,” an official said.
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