Govt To Set Up 100 Labs For 5G Technology In India

The Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the central government is going to set up around 100 labs for 5G technology across the country and out of these, 12 of the labs will be used to train students and conduct experiments. The minister also asked companies participating in the Indian Mobile Congress, a digital technology conference in Delhi, to provide their suggestions for the new telecom bill through which the government intends to simplify licensing regime.

“The government is working significantly towards simplifying the licensing regime for all telecom players. I am really happy to see the energy of start-ups and MSMEs, who are going to rural areas to benefit people,” Vaishnaw said.

What Is 5G Lab?

The 5G Lab works with start-ups, academia and enterprise teams to build a 5G-powered world. Experts work on 5G trials, hackathons, industry partnerships, prototyping challenges and more. Through the rolling out of 5G network and setting up of the labs, many small businesses and start-ups will get boost in the industry. They will be able to grab new opportunity in the sector and will come up as expert in the new field.

During the event, indigenous telecom gear maker Himachal Futuristic Communications Limited (HFCL) announced the launch of 5G Lab as a service to accelerate the rollout of 5G solutions and services. It will provide an automated test environment for the private sector, academia and the government to work together on product innovations from concept to reality.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also attended the India Mobile Congress and said that the launch of 5G is going to be a defining moment for not only India, but for the world. He further said that a large economy like India, which has talent, is emerging from the shadows to take a leadership role. 

“We are now indigenously designing, developing and manufacturing goods and showing the world the scale and speed with which we will take 5G through the length and breadth of India,” he added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched  5G services in 13 cities in the first phase at the India Mobile Congress. The thirteen cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.

Benefits Of 5G In India

1. 5G can enable affordable and high-quality education and skill development within the reach of common Indians.
2. 5G can affordably deliver high-quality healthcare to rural and remote areas by turning existing hospitals into smart hospitals without big investments required.
3. 5G can bridge the gap between rural and urban India by accelerating digitisation and intelligent data management of agriculture, trade, industry and more.
4. 5G can benefit small businesses by equipping them with the same solutions as big organizations.
5. 5G can power India's emergence as the world's intelligence capital.