New Delhi: After successfully completing 5G spectrum bids this Monday, the government’s National Broadband Mission tweeted about the launch of 5G services in India on October 1st. According to a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will roll out fifth-generation (5G) telecom services in India on October 1.
“Taking India’s digital transformation & connectivity to new heights, Hon’ble PM, @narendramodi, will roll out 5G services in India; at India Mobile Congress; Asia’s largest technology exhibition,” the government’s National Broadband Mission tweeted today.
The bidding that saw Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks Limited shell out a total of Rs 1.5 lakh crores would provide 5G services across 33 cities. However, there is no clarity as of now if the consumers could use the service from October 1st.
Reliance Jio said it was ready with its standalone 5G service, which means the telco will be delivering a 5G network through dedicated infrastructure and not via existing 4G towers. It emerged as the biggest spender as it acquired 24.7 GHz of the spectrum, including the premium 700 MHz band, for Rs 88,000 crore. Bharti Airtel emerged as the second highest bidder by spending Rs 43,084 crore for 19.8 GHz of the airwaves followed by Vodafone Idea which shelled out Rs 18,799 crore for 6.2 GHz of the spectrum. Adani Data Networks Limited was the lowest spender as it acquired just 400 MHz for Rs 212 crore.
Airtel is expected to launch its 5G services around the same time as Jio, while things are unclear with regards to Vodafone Idea’s 5G launch.