The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is likely to announce the schedule to start 5G trials in the upcoming days.
The standing committee on information technology headed by Shashi Tharoor has pulled up the DoT for not showcasing preparedness on launching 5G services in the country.
On February 16, the telecom secretary Anshu Prakash held a meeting with officials in the Prime Minister’s Office to update them with the upcoming plans to announce the schedule for 5G trials.
5G Deployment in India
The telecom operators in January 2020 submitted their applications regarding participation for 5G operations in the country, yet no trials have been conducted so far.
Speaking on this matter, the parliamentary committee disgraced the telecom department on the lack of preparedness for launching 5G services in the country, when many countries are swiftly joining the 5G technology league, around the world.
The committee also stated that India is likely to witness its deployment only by the end of 2021 or early part of 2022, that too partially.
“It is very likely that after missing the 2G, 3G, and 4G bus, India is going to miss on 5G opportunities, unless time-bound action is taken in core areas where governmental intervention is required.
It is disappointing to note that the department has hardly learnt from the past delays.”, quoted the committee.
Indo-China Tensions Contributing to 5G Delay
While there are several reasons for successful installation of 5G trials in India, the existing tension between India and China since last year, has contributed to the delay.
This is because Huawei and ZTE are participants in the 5G trial, which makes their position in the whole process very apprehensive and unclear.
While no Chinese companies are banned from participating in the trials, the rules governing them have significantly tightened.
Also, while mobile operators appear to be pleased and excited with the start of trials, equipment makers like Nokia and Ericsson do not share the same enthusiasm.
They are concerned by the investment numbers involved in such trials shooting up to the scale of Rs 150-200 crore, which will completely come at their expense, as 5G spectrum won’t be auctioned in the upcoming sale.
Source: Financial Express
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