The wait for 5G in India is almost over as the Indian government approved the 5G spectrum auction on July 14.
In a crucial cabinet meeting held on June 14, the Union Cabinet approved the auction of the 5G spectrum at the request of the Department of Telecommunications(DoT).
According to the official statement and PTI, the auction will be held by the last of July 2022, most probably on July 26.
After this decision, the enterprises will get airwaves from the government to operate 5G networks and offer 5G services to customers.
According to the government official, the government will allow auctioning of 72GHz of the spectrum.
This spectrum will have a validity of 20 years, and a total of nine frequency bands are available.
The frequency bands include 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz.
The telecom service providers will mostly use high and mid-frequency bands to offer high-speed 5G connectivity and internet services to the users.
The high-frequency band can provide up to 10 times faster internet speed than 4G.
One major decision of the government is it will allow the development the Private Captive Networks through which a boom can be seen in the progress of the latest technologies like Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, etc.
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Who will bid for the India 5G spectrum Auction?
Until now, there are mainly three competitors for the 5G spectrum: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. As per the source, the government is auctioning the spectrum o the prices suggested by TRAI.
The government has cut the floor price of the 5G spectrum by 33-40%, as recommended by the TRAI.
When Will 5G Roll Out In India?
The Department of Telecommunications has already tested different indigenous technology, including a 5G test bed.
DoT has already assured that 5G to be rolled out in India by the end of 2022.
Now the auction of the spectrum will be held in July, so we can expect the telecom service providers to offer their 5G services by the end of 2022 or even before.
As the spectrum auction is done after the Telecom sector reforms, the process for acquiring and operating the spectrum becomes easy and fast.
It will also benefit telecom service providers financially as the government will not charge Spectrum Usage Charges.
Where will we see 5G in India first?
Of course, 5G will roll out in India by the end of 2022, but the coverage of 5G across India will take years.
It will take time for service providers to operate 5G at the commercial level across the country.
So, according to DoT, a few cities will get 5G connectivity first.
These cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Gugurgram, Pune, Jamnagar, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.
By 2023 the 5G network will reach most metro cities and industrial and IT hubs of the country.
All major telecom service providers are ready to test the 5G network in various cities of the country, and as the spectrum will be auctioned, the test will be started immediately.
Apart from all of this government has planned everything so that the 5G rollout in the country will go smoother, faster, and easier.
From allocating backhaul spectrum to doubling traditional microwave backhaul carriers, easy payment terms, and the option to surrender spectrum after 10 years government has provided full flexibility to telecom service providers in every aspect.
You can also read about the newly launched Oppo Reno 8 Pro and Xiaomi Redmi Note 11T series 5G.
So after seeing the preparation at the government level, we can conclude that 5G in India is very near and will be revolutionary.
