Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the official rollout of 5G services in India at India Mobile Congress 2022.
Although it will take some time for 5G services to reach every part of the country, some cities will experience 5G services in India starting today.
“With 2G, 3G, and 4G, India was dependant on other countries [for technology, equipment] but with 5G, we are creating history by setting a global standard in technology and, in fact, leading it, too,” PM said in the address.
Today is historical! pic.twitter.com/XCc0Sa9crcOctober 1, 2022
Which Telecom companies will offer 5G services first?
So far, only Airtel and Jio have finalised the proper timeline for the rollout of 5G services in the country.
Airtel starts offering 5G services from October 1, while Jio has confirmed it will begin the 5G rollout by Diwali. Vi will also roll out 5G services soon, but the exact launch date has not been revealed yet.
5G services to be available in 13 cities soon
Thirteen cities will be the first to get 5G services. These are the cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Jamnagar.
When will 5G be available across the country?
Jio has revealed that it plans to make 5G services available in every part of the country by December 2023.
Airtel has revealed that it intends to cover every part of the country with 5G by March 2024.
Airtel launches 5G in India in 10 cities from October 1
Bharti Airtel already has 5G services available in 10 cities in India which includes Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, and Bangalore, among other cities.
Sunil Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Airtel said, “When you (Prime Minister) will launch 5G today. 5G from Airtel will be available in 8 cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore and other cities.”
According to a senior official of Bharti Airtel, the Airtel 5G services will be available at existing 4G rates initially until 5G specific tariffs are introduced.
Jio to launch 5G services by Diwali
As of now, Jio hasn't revealed the official launch date of 5G in India. RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani has revealed that the company hopes to bring 5G services to every part of the country by December 2023.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD, Reliance Industries said, "Jio 5G services will connect everyone, every place and everything with the highest quality and affordability. We are committed to making India a data-powered economy even ahead of China and the US."
Mukesh D. Ambani talks about the Rollout of 5G at the India Mobile Congress 2022.@exploreIMC #JioTrue5GatIMC #JioTrue5G #IMC2022 #5GService #DigitalIndia pic.twitter.com/6SFbf4OE3yOctober 1, 2022
Vi did not make any rollout announcements
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla group and promoter of Vodafone Idea said, “The telecom industry will further ignite the digital dreams of 1.3 billion Indians and many 1000s of enterprises. It will also set the stage for the country to become a $5 trillion economy in the next few years, with a trillion-dollar contribution by the digital economy itself.
However, he did not reveal any plans of 5G rollout in India. It was revealed that Vi will rollout 5G in India soon.
