14-Dec-2022: Rolling out of 5G Network

Rollout of 5G Network

• Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) started providing 5G services from 01.10.2022
• 5G services available in 50 towns across 14 States/UTs as of 26.11.2022
• Rollout obligations required to be met over 5 years from date of allocation of spectrum
• Further expansion of mobile networks depends on TSPs' techno-commercial considerations

Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment (MTCTE)

• Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules 2017 notified by DoT
• Any telegraph used or capable of being used with licensed telegraphs must undergo prior mandatory testing and certification
• Parameters determined by telegraph authority

National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector (NSDTS)

• Amendment in Telecom Licenses issued by DoT on 10.03.2021
• All Licensees directed to connect only Trusted Products in telecom networks from 15.06.2021
• Mechanism established for sourcing of telecommunication equipment only from trusted sources
• Aim to enhance security of telecom networks and address national security concerns

3-Oct-2022: Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers held along with the launch of 5G

Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers

• Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
• Industry veterans Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Kumar Mangalam Birla in attendance
• Held alongside the sixth edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC 2022)
• National launch of 5G
• Exhibitions and unveiling of several 5G use cases in education, health, worker safety, smart agriculture, etc.

Attendees

• Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar
• Minister of state for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan
• IT Ministers from 12 States and UTs: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Puducherry
• State IT Secretaries and officers from all States and UTs
• Senior officers from MeitY and DoT

Speeches and Discussions

• Secretary of MeitY, Alkesh Kumar Sharma, highlights the resilience of Digital India during the pandemic and introduces initiatives that can be leveraged by States and UTs
• Devusinh Chauhan announces the historic introduction of 5G services in India and reduction in time taken to obtain RoW permission
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar emphasizes the opportunity for growth and the need for States to leverage PLI schemes, digital platforms, and standardize citizen and business-centric services
• Ashwini Vaishnaw stresses the focus on creating employment and achieving the target of 1 Trillion Dollar Digital Economy and 1 Crore Digital Jobs by 2026. Announces new policies and encourages States to provide constructive suggestions

Thereafter,

• State/UT IT Ministers shared progress under Digital India
• Shared issues with connectivity, NIELIT, CDAC, STPI, CoE, and policy matters

MEIT's closing remarks

• Connectivity is vital for Digital India and will reach every corner of the country
• Approved Rs 26,000 crore to install new 25,000 towers in 500 days
• List of spots for installing towers prepared in consultation with States/Chief Secretaries
• Rs 1.64 lakh crore for revival of BSNL in 18 months
• Design in India and Make-In-India will be big beneficiaries
• Congratulated all States/UTs for speedy onboarding at PM Gati Shakti
• Fibre network will be put on a common portal
• Policy matters determined in due consultation with States
• Special assistance to States for capital expenditure worth Rs 2000 Crore
• Encouraged States to make business-friendly policies
• Vital commitments from all States/UTs to realize AatmaNirbhar Bharat and Trillion Dollar Digital Economy

1-Oct-2022: PM launches 5G Services

PM Launches 5G Services

• Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched 5G services in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
• Inaugurated the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress and witnessed the IMC Exhibition
• Industry leaders express their views on this historic occasion

Industry Leaders' Views

Shri Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance

• Thanked the Prime Minister for inspiring the vision of a developed nation by 2047
• Every action and policy of the government is skillfully crafted to propel India towards that goal
• Steps taken to fast-track India’s march into the 5G era provide compelling proof of our Prime Minister’s determination
• Narrated the possibilities of 5G in key areas like education, health, and climate
• Your leadership has raised India’s prestige, profile, and power globally like never before
• In today’s fast-changing world, there will be no stopping a resurgent India from soaring to the top

Shri Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprise

• The launch of 5G is the beginning of a new era
• Happening during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav makes it even more special
• With the efforts of the Prime Minister, this will usher new energy in the country
• We are fortunate to have a leader in the Prime Minister who understands technology very minutely and deployed that to the development of the country in an unmatched manner
• Will open up a sea of opportunities for people, especially in rural areas
• Recalled the Prime Minister's initiatives in the field of infrastructure and technology from his Gujarat CM days
• During the pandemic, traffic shifted to villages and homes, and the country's heartbeat did not stop even for a second, credit for that goes to the digital vision
• Praised the audacity and achievement of the vision of Make in India
• With the advent of 5G, the country will add many more unicorns in the world

Shri Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

• The advent of 5G is a transformational event that proves India’s prowess on the global stage
• Reiterates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of India's growth
• Thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his vision and leadership for a generational leap in technology that has resulted in India making a mark on the global stage
• Thanked the Prime Minister for his inspirational role in supporting the telecom industry during the ongoing pandemic and for the path-breaking telecom reforms in the industry
• The launch of 5G marks the beginning of an exciting journey for India
• We will see limitless potential for 5G development and use cases in the years to come.

Three major telecom operators demonstrate one use case each in front of the Prime Minister

Reliance Jio

• Connected a teacher from a school in Mumbai with students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Odisha
• Demonstrated how 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer to students and obliterating the physical distance between them
• Demonstrated the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach children across the country

Vodafone Idea

• Demonstrated the safety of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro through the creation of a Digital Twin of the tunnel on the dias
• Digital Twin will help give safety alerts to workers in real-time from a remote location
• PM took a live demo from the dias to monitor the work in real-time through utilizing VR and Artificial Intelligence

Airtel demo

• Students from Dankaur, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a lively and immersive education experience to learn about the solar system with the help of Virtual reality and Augmented reality
• A student Khushi shared her experience of learning with the PM by appearing on the dias through a hologram

Prime Minister's Remarks

• Today is a special day for the fast-developing India of the 21st century
• 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country
• 5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities
• Rural areas and workers are equal partners in the launch of 5G
• India will play an active role in the development and implementation of technology
• India will play a big role in designing the future wireless technology and manufacturing related to it
• With 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time
• Digital India is a big vision for the development of the country
• The goal of this vision is to bring that technology to the common people, which works for the people, works by connecting with the people.

Holistic approach

4 pillars:

Price of device

• Aatmanirbharta - 2 mobile manufacturing units → 200
• Mobile phone exporting country
• More features at lower cost

Digital connectivity

• Internet users 6 crores → 80 crores
• 100 panchayats → 1.7 lakh panchayats connected by optical fiber
• Door-to-door campaign for Internet for all

Cost of data

• Incentives and policy support for 4G
• Data revolution

Idea of 'Digital First'

• Faith in common man's understanding and potential
• Digital payments made easier
• Citizen-centric delivery service app
• Continuation of DBT, education, vaccination, health services, work-from-home during pandemic
• Platform for small traders, entrepreneurs, artists, artisans
• Thinking emboldened by availability of facilities
• Government's clean intentions leading to change in citizens' intentions (niyat)
• Key difference in intention (niyat) of 2G and 5G
• Cost of data is among the lowest in the world
• Consumer-centric focused efforts of the government
• Cost of data in India has remained very low
• India will take full benefit of the 4th industrial revolution and will lead it
• Use of 5G technology will not be limited to speedy internet access
• It has the capability to change lives and will realize its promises in our lifetimes
• Leaders of the telecom industry association should visit schools and colleges and unleash every aspect of this new technology
• Create an enabling ecosystem for MSMEs to prepare spare parts for electronic manufacturing
• 5G technology should be used to bring about a revolution in the country
• Drone technology has been made possible after the newly launched Drone Policy
• Many farmers have learned how to fly drones and started using them to spray insecticides and pesticides in the fields
• India of the future will guide the world in the upcoming technology sector

Benefits of 5G technology to the common people:

• Seamless coverage
• High data rate
• Low latency
• Highly reliable communications
• Increased energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency
• Can connect billions of Internet of Things devices
• Allows higher quality video services with mobility at high speed
• Delivery of critical services such as telesurgery and autonomous cars among others
• Real-time monitoring of disasters
• Precision agriculture
• Minimising the role of humans in dangerous industrial operations such as in deep mines, offshore activities etc.
• Tailoring of requirements for each of these different use cases within the same network

IMC 2022 scheduled to be held from 1st to 4th October with the theme of “New digital Universe”.

1-Oct-2022: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched wholly indigenous 5G NSA Core designed and developed by C-DOT, at India Mobile Congress 2022

• Prime Minister launches indigenous 5G NSA Core designed by C-DOT
• Launch takes place at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 in New Delhi
• End-to-end 5G call demonstrated using C-DOT 5G NSA Core installed at BSNL Chandigarh and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) developed in collaboration with Wisig Networks, VVDN Technologies and Radisys India Pvt Ltd.
• Various 5G use-cases implemented in collaboration with national academic institutions and local start-ups
• Innovative use-case demonstrated of extending remote medical assistance to citizens by making video calls to Primary Health Centres in Bhora Kalan village of Haryana and Matiana village of Himachal Pradesh

C-DOT

• C-DOT is the Telecom R&D center of the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India
• C-DOT has been working towards evolving an indigenous technology framework driven by synergistic collaboration amongst R&D, academia, industry, startups and other relevant stakeholders of the Telecom ecosystem
• C-DOT displays diverse Telecom products and solutions at IMC 2022, including Optical Communication, Switching & Routing Systems, Wireless Communication – Wi-Fi, 4G & 5G, Cyber Security, Quantum Communication, Network Management and a host of Telecom software applications based on IoT/M2M, AI/ML, AR/VR and Big Data
• Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, Executive Director & Chairman, C-DOT expresses thanks to Prime Minister for launching indigenous 5G NSA and inspiring innovation towards achieving “Aatmanirbharta” that would give India distinction among top technology hubs in the world
• C-DOT reaffirms commitment to building an indigenous Telecom ecosystem powered by novel research, cutting-edge innovation and mutually-productive collaboration.

8-Aug-2022: Government offers use of Indigenous 5G Test Bed free of cost to Indian Government recognized start-ups and MSMEs for the next six months upto Jan, 2023

Government of India Offers Free Use of Indigenous 5G Test Bed

Objectives

• Boost 5G ecosystem in India
• Achieve objectives of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives

Offer Details

• Use of Indigenous 5G Test Bed free of cost for Indian Government recognized start-ups and MSMEs for six months
• Available at a nominal rate for all other stakeholders
• Strongly urged all 5G stakeholders to use the 5G testbed facilities to test and facilitate the speedy development and deployment of their products in the network

Project Details

• Multi-institute collaborative project approved by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in March 2018
• Total cost of Rs.224 Crore
• Eight collaborating institutes:
  1. IIT Madras
  2. IIT Delhi
  3. IIT Hyderabad
  4. IIT Bombay
  5. IIT Kanpur
  6. IISc Bangalore
  7. Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER)
  8. Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT)

Indigenous 5G Test Bed

• Dedicated to the nation by Hon. Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi on May 17th, 2022
• Available at five locations:
  1. Integrated Test Bed at CEWiT /IIT Madras
  2. IIT Delhi
  3. IIT Hyderabad
  4. IIT Kanpur
  5. IISc Bangalore
• Provides an open 5G test bed compliant with global 3GPP standard and ORAN standard
• Enables R&D teams of Indian academia and industry to validate their products, prototypes, algorithms, and demonstrate various services
• Provides complete access for research teams to work on novel concepts/ideas holding potential for standardization in India and on a global scale
• Facilities of 5G networks for experimenting and demonstrating applications/use cases of importance to Indian society like rural broadband, smart city applications, and intelligent transport system (ITS)
• Helps Indian operators understand the working of 5G technologies and plan their future networks

Benefits

• Key milestone for India's self-reliance in the 5G Technology domain
• Leading towards 5G Aatmanirbhar Bharat
• Provides Indigenous capability for testing and validation of 5G products being developed and manufactured by Indian start-ups, MSME, R&D, Academia, and industry users
• Results in huge cost efficiency and reduced design time, making Indian 5G products globally competitive
• Development of 5G Technologies/IPs available for technology transfer to industry players, facilitating smooth and speedy deployment of 5G in India.

3-Aug-2022: Base Rate of 5G Spectrum

After TRAI consultation with stakeholders, final reserve price set by government.

Indian Telecom Companies and Foreign Vendors

• Engagement based on technical needs and business decisions
• Next-generation technology linked to previous generations
• Interplay of diverse systems
• Few dependencies due to global spread of technology ownership

Capabilities of Indigenous Companies

• Demonstrated abilities in 4G and 5G technologies
• Significant indigenization and domestic value addition
• Products developed using 3GPP and ITU standards
• Security needs inherently taken care of
• Trusted source directives being followed

5G Trial Licenses

• Extension given up to 06-08-2022 or until assignment of spectrum
• No delay attributable to extension
• Telecom operators will deploy 5G networks based on business decisions and roll out obligations.

2-Aug-2022: Telecom Industry responds to Prime Ministers Telecom reforms: 5G spectrum auction grosses Rs. 1,50,173 Cr.

• Government of India put 72,098 MHz spectrum to auction
• 51,236 MHz (71% of the total) sold for Rs. 1,50,173 Cr.
• Successful spectrum auction due to PM Modi's reforms and clear policy direction

Winners of Spectrum Auction

• M/s Adani Data Networks Ltd obtained 400 MHz spectrum in mm wave band (26 GHz)
• M/s Bharti Airtel Ltd obtained 19,867.8 MHz in 900, 1800, 2100, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands
• M/s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd obtained 24,740 MHz spectrum in 700, 800, 1800, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz
• M/s Vodafone Idea Ltd obtained 6,228 MHz spectrum in 1800, 2100, 2500, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz

Bid Amounts and Annual Installments

• Total bid amount of Rs. 1,50,173 Cr.
• Adani Data Networks bid Rs. 212 Cr.
• Bharti Airtel bid Rs. 43,048 Cr.
• Reliance Jio Infocomm bid Rs. 88,078 Cr.
• Vodafone Idea bid Rs. 18,799 Cr.
• Annual installment for all participants is Rs. 13,365 Cr.
• Interest rate for computing annual installments is 7.2%
• Some participants may make more upfront payment

600 MHz Band

• Put to auction for the first time
• No bids received
• Device ecosystem still not developed for mobile telephony
• Band may become important in a few years

700 MHz Band

• 5G ecosystem well-developed
• Large cell size, less infrastructure requirement
• Provides large range and good coverage
• Reliance Jio obtained pan India 10 MHz spectrum

Bands Between 800 to 2500 MHz: Participants placed bids primarily for spectrum to augment capacity and improve 4G coverage

Mid Band (3300 MHz Band)

• Crucial in providing high throughput
• Existing operators obtained spectrum in this band
• Operators likely to augment existing 4G capacity and provide 5G services in 3300 MHz band

mm Wave Band (26 GHz)

• High throughput but very short range
• Likely to be utilized for captive or non-public network
• Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) becoming popular in this band
• FWA can be used as an alternative to fiber in high density/congested urban areas
• All four participants obtained spectrum in this band

Auctioneer

• M/s Metal Scrap Trading Corporation (MSTC), a PSU of Government of India, was the auctioneer

• Process of allocation of spectrum to be completed within timeframe.
• 5G services likely to be rolled out by September/October.
• Availability of spectrum expected to improve quality of services in telecom industry.

27-Jul-2022: 5G Networks

Launch of 5G mobile service is likely during 2022-23 by Telecom Service Providers. The Department of Telecommunication vide notification dated 15th June, 2022 has already initiated the process of Auction of Spectrum in 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz Bands which includes the Spectrum required for launch of 5G Services.

The Department of Telecommunications has amended the guidelines for Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for manufacturing of telecom & networking products to facilitate design-led manufacturing of 5G products in the country. One of the amendments is 1% higher incentive for products qualifying the design-led criteria. The application window has been opened since 21st June, 2022 till 5th August, 2022. In addition to existing PLI beneficiaries, total 26National/ Multinational companies have shown their interest as on 21.07.2022.

20-Jun-2022: Indian 5G testbed to be established at Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow

• Indian 5G Testbed at MCTE, Mhow
• Collaboration between Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M)
• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Chennai
• Purpose of the Testbed:
  • Facilitate Indian Army's operational use of 5G technology along its borders
  • Induction of systems, devices, and equipment using niche technology
  • Use of AI-based algorithms to enhance Armed Forces' capabilities
  • Promote collaborative and cooperative research
  • Facilitate exchange of ideas for development of new technologies
  • Encourage research in the area of 5G communications and development of military applications
• Joint Partnership Aims to:
  • Accelerate Indian Army's indigenisation efforts
  • Achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' in the fields of communications
  • Provide a testing facility for Tri-Service
  • Act as a catalyst for Research and Development
• IIT-Madras to provide:
  • Consultancy duly supported by research for feasibility studies
  • Prototype development on 5G enabled future communications.

15-Jun-2022: Cabinet approves Auction of IMT/5G Spectrum

Spectrum auction approved by Union Cabinet

• Assign spectrum to successful bidders for 5G services
• Digital connectivity important part of government initiatives (Digital India, Start-up India, Make in India)
• 4G services expanded rapidly since 2015, 80 crore subscribers have access to broadband now
• Promoted access to mobile banking, online education, telemedicine, e-Ration to Antyodaya families
• 5G test bed set up in 8 technology institutes in India
• PLI schemes for mobile handsets, telecom equipment, India Semiconductor Mission to build strong ecosystem for 5G services
• Auction for 72097.85 MHz of spectrum in Low, Mid, and High frequency bands
• Mid and High band spectrum to be used for 5G technology-based services
• Telecom Sector Reforms announced in September 2021 to benefit auction
  • Zero Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) on spectrum acquired
  • No requirement for financial bank guarantee
• Progressive options announced for ease of doing business
  • No mandatory requirement for upfront payment
  • Payments for spectrum can be made in 20 equal annual instalments
  • Option to surrender spectrum after 10 years with no future liabilities
• Provisionally allot 2 carriers of 250 MHz each in E-band to meet backhaul demand
• Double number of traditional Microwave backhaul carriers in existing frequency bands
• Enable development and setting up of Private Captive Networks for Industry 4.0 applications (machine to machine communications, IoT, AI) in various sectors.

8-Feb-2022: 5G network is in its final stages of development

India Telecom 2022 Expo

• Exclusive International Business Expo
• Organized by Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC)
• Held from February 8th to 10th, 2022
• Under Market Access Initiative Scheme (MAI) of Department of Commerce, Government of India
• Supported by Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions in different countries

Key Dignitaries

• Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railway
• Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications
• Shri K Rajaraman, Chairman DCC & Secretary (T), Department of Telecommunications

Attendees

Qualified buyers from more than 45 countries

Exhibitors

40+ Indian telecom companies showcasing their products and capabilities

India's Electronics Manufacturing

• Close to US dollars 75 billion
• Growing at more than 20% CAGR
• Launched a major semiconductor programme
• Developing 85,000 semiconductor engineers

Technology Development

• Indigenously developed 4G core & radio network
• 5G network in final stages of development
• Participating in development of 6G standards

Importance of Communications

• Empowers citizens
• Helps to get information, education, and opportunities
• Optical fibre to all 6 lacs villages plan
• Bridging the digital divide
• Fulfilling the motto of "Minimum Government and Maximum Governance"

Regulatory Framework

• Easy market access to telecom equipment
• Fair & proactive regulatory framework
• Ensuring availability of telecom services to consumers at affordable prices
• Regulation on the Foreign Direct Investments
• Reform measures taken to make doing business easier and less costly
• Testing of wholly Indian design, Indian 4G stack in final stages
• 5G equipment being manufactured in India for the world

India Telecom 2022 Expo Benefits

• Platform for convergence of technology and business exchange
• Strategies and learning that transcend the two most important present-day industries
• Potential of unlocking huge demand of ICT services across multiple domains
• Networking, meeting, and shaping the future