Telecom operators will roll out 5G services in select cities across the country next year, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said on December 28. Telecom operators such as Airtel, Jio and Vodafone India have established 5G trials sites in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Delhi.
"These metros and big cities would be the first places for the launch of 5G services in the country, next year," DoT said.
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The indigenous 5G testbed project, funded by the telecom department, has reached the final stages and the project is likely to be completed by December 31, 2021, it said.
The eight implementing bodies -- IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IISC Bangalore, SAMEER and CEWiT -- have been working for 36 months.
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"Costing about Rs 224 crore, the project is likely to be completed by December 31, 2021, paving the way for end-to-end testing of 5G user equipment (UE) and network equipment by 5G stakeholders developing 5G products/ services/ use cases, including indigenous start-ups, SMEs, academia and industry in the country," the telecom regulator said.
The indigenous 5G testbed, a technology development project initiated in telecom space, will enable development, testing and proliferation of 5G technology system components, cross-sectoral use cases, besides setting up the foundation for the development of '6G Technology landscape' in the country.
Telecom operators, including Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea, have established 5G trials sites in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jamnagar, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune and Gandhi Nagar, the DoT said.
A 6G 'Technology Innovation Group', or TIG, has been constituted by DoT to co-create and participate in the development of the 6G technology ecosystem through increased participation in a capability description, standards development at global standard-setting bodies.
"This would be necessary to prepare India's manufacturing and services ecosystem to capitalise on 6G opportunity," it said.
6G TIG comprises members from government, academia, industry associations and the Telecom Standards Development Society of India (TSDSI).
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(With PTI inputs)
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