India Mobile Congress: Not just 5G, India is working on becoming leader in 6G, says PM Modi

PM Modi said that since 5G was rolled out, over 4 lakh 5G base stations have been established, covering 97% of the nation.

India is not only concentrating on the deployment of 5G but is also working to become a leader in 6G technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on October 27.

Modi, who spoke on the first day of the 7th edition of the India Mobile Congress, said this while inaugurating 100 5G labs spread across the entire country.

"These labs will help youngsters in dreaming big and aid them in realising these dreams," Modi said.

"When I was going through the stalls at the exhibition, I saw a glimpse of our future in terms of 6G, cybersecurity, drone, space sector, green tech and so on," Modi said.

Modi said that since 5G was rolled out, over 4 lakh 5G base stations have been established, covering 97% of the nation.

Internet speed

The prime minister also noted that due to 5G, broadband speed in India has increased 3 times.

"Improving internet speeds helps in ease of living. Teachers can connect better with their students. Doctors with patients," Modi said.

Modi also said that 2 lakh gram panchayats have been connected with broadband through the BharatNet programme.

Electronics manufacturing

The prime minister also addressed electronics manufacturing and the enhancement of the semiconductor ecosystem in the country, stating," Before 2014, India's government was akin to smartphones which used to hang when someone touched the screen. We stopped using outdated phones in 2014. Earlier we were importers of mobile phones. Now we are exporters."

"Google will be making its Pixel phones in India. Samsung and Apple phones (iPhone 15) are already being made. Entire world is now using made in India phones," he added.

Reliance Jio and Airtel on 5G

Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, Akash Ambani, praised PM Modi for leading the digital connectivity revolution to connect 1.4 billion Indians.

"Last year you challenged us to make India a global leader in 5G. What we have achieved is stunning. Jio had the fastest rollout of 5G," he said.

Ambani also said that, just as PM Modi has established the Statue of Unity, the world's largest statue, he will be working on unveiling the Digital Statue of Unity.

Chairperson of Bharti Airtel, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said that Airtel 5G is now in 5,000 towns and 20,000 villages.

"By March 2024, Airtel will have covered the entire country with 5G," he added.

Mittal also said that the satellite communication (satcom) services of OneWeb, in which Bharti Airtel has the largest stake, will be available for use from next month onwards. A ground satellite station has been installed in Mehsana, Gujarat.