Telecom Minister states India has world’s largest 5G network

The government said that India has the second largest 5G network in the world and it is due to the quickest 5G rollout with 300,000 sites set up in 10 months.

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a Koo post said, “The world’s fastest 5G rollout continues, over 3 lakh sites installed in 714 districts. World’s second largest 5G ecosystem." Together, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have set up the sites, which were at 2.8 lakh in July, according to information shared with Parliament.

The telecom department is keeping a track on the rollout in terms of districts, the department told the Parliament last month. As of July 7, the 5G networks have already been rolled out in 717 districts of the country.

Last month, Minister of state Devusinh Chauhan in a statement to Rajya Sabha said that the government took various steps to hasten the 5G networks rollout. He said that the procedure for SACFA clearance for low Power Base Transceiver Station (BTS)/ small cells i.e Micro, Pico and Femto cells on existing street furniture/infrastructure has been simplified. The procedure for application and time-bound permission for usage of street furniture for installation of small cells and telegraph line has been specified in Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022. Further, GatiShakti Sanchar portal has been launched to facilitate and expedite Right of Way permissions, by providing a single interface between all stake holders including Central and State/UT Government(s), Local bodies, and Service Providers.

He added that DoT has formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee for the adaption of sector-specific 5G use cases. DoT has sent communications to different ministries including Ministries of Health, Sports, Agriculture, and Heavy Industries to effectively utilize the advancement in 5G technology. The use cases span across various socioeconomic sectors including education, agriculture, health, power, urban management, mining, logistics, resource management, tourism, sports, security, e-governance etc.