India should embrace 5G soon, develop tech indigenously: NITI Aayog CEO

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Friday that India should adopt the 5G technology in the telecom sector soon, and some parts of it should be developed indigenously.

'5G' refers to the fifth genertaion cellular network technology.

"We should adopt 5G technology soon as it will inter- connect devices and accelerate data flow," Kant said at the 'Magnificent Madhya Pradesh' investor summit here.

"A debate is underway on 5G technology. I am of the view that there is a need to develop some segments of it with Indian technology for taking the nation forward," he added.

The Internet data in India is too cheap compared to other countries and consumption is huge, he said.

Data consumption has seen a steep rise in the last three years, Kant added.

The 5G technology will increase data flow and make people's life easier, he said.

Underlining the importance of machine learning and artificial intelligence, the NITI Aayog CEO said the government should make special efforts to increase the number of data specialists and data scientists.

On the Internet users' right over personal data, Kant said, "The user should have the right over data but some data are such that there is no harm in their sharing."

But some kind of data, such as that related to people's health, should stay inside the country, he said.