India is in world's top three 5G ecosystems in just a year: Vaishnaw

BSNL has started deploying 4G towers and the speed will pick up after Diwali. Once the 4G rollout stabilises, we will enable 5G on the BSNL network next year, said Vaishnaw

More than a year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of 5G service in the country, the speed of the rollout, one of the fastest in the world, has helped India to be among the top in the global pecking order. In an interview on the phone with Surajeet Das Gupta, Communications Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw charts the government’s goals for the next 12 months for 5G. Edited excerpts.

So are you satisfied with the speed at which telcos have rolled out 5G in just one year since its launch?

A key area we were monitoring from the beginning was coverage and in just one year we have 5G at 360,000 sites, placing India among the world’s top three 5G ecosystems (the other two being China and the US).

What about geographical coverage? Is it still concentrated in a few cities?

We have covered practically every district (there are 766 districts in India) in the country with 5G. And we are confident that in another one year, every tehsil (there are around 5,600 tehsils) will be covered.

What are your targets for the next 12 months on the 5G rollout?

It was 200,000 sites in the first year. We are far ahead of that target already (it has rolled out 5G in over 360,000 towers). In the second year our target is to reach 430,000 towers, which we will complete significantly earlier than the target date.

Do you see mobile-phone adoption going up with 5G? Do you think the prices are low enough for mass adoption?

Entry-level 5G phones are now available for Rs 15,000. Cell phone manufacturers are shifting capacity from 4G to 5G phones. And the 5G tariffs are the same as 4G. Plus, consumers are using their phones longer. On balance, there is a distinct shift from 4G to 5G.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which is in the process of launching 4G, also has plans to get into 5G. How are those plans shaping up and when will we have three 5G players in the market?

BSNL has started deploying 4G towers and the speed will pick up after Diwali. Once the 4G rollout stabilises, we will enable 5G on the BSNL network next year.

How many have subscribed to 5G and what will the number be by next year?

It is difficult to ascertain who a 5G subscriber is because currently most users are moving seamlessly from 4G to 5G, especially as the 5G rollout is still going on.

Do you see any change in the way subscribers are using or looking at mobile phones in the 5G world in India?

Two major changes in customer behaviour have been observed. First, many subscribers are moving away from Wi-Fi to using mobiles only with 5G. And second, the mobile is no longer only a tool for consumption. It is becoming a key tool for production because computing power and the communication ability of phones have increased.

How is India’s tryst with 6G going? Have our standards been accepted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)?

Bharat 6G has been accepted by the ITU. Already our researchers are filing patents for 6G-related technologies. We believe India will lead the development of 6G technologies and standards over the next five years.

India has been trying to export telecom equipment, which is also one of the planks for a production-linked incentive scheme. How has this been done?

Today the telecom industry has emerged as a major one. India has started exporting telecom equipment to more than 40 countries, including the US and European nations.