PM Modi Launches 5G Services In India – Will It Be Stable?

At a telecom event on October 1, 2022, in New Delhi, India, Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of the country, officially launched 5G services\ with hopes of making India fully digital in the next 4 to 6 years.

During the IMC 2022 conference, Prime Minister Modi launched 5G services in selected cities, which would bring wireless internet connection to a whole new level.

When it comes to speeds, 5G is significantly faster than 4G, considering that it can deliver up to 20 Gigabits per seconds (Gbps) in peak data rates and around over 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) average data rates. 

Not only that, but 5G is also capable of supporting up to 100 times more increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency. 

During the conference, PM Modi said that 5G services will be available in India over the span of 2 to 4 years. He also said 5G services are going to bring massive economic, industrial and societal benefits to the country.

Major telecommunication companies were quick to comment on the announcement by PM Modi.

Talking about 5G services in India, Akash Ambani, the Chairman for Reliance Jio, released a statement following the speech of Narendra Modi saying that Jio is planning to offer 5G services by the end of this year.

Akash Ambani added: “Jio plans to cover the entire India by December…We will make it very affordable, it should be affordable for every Indian – right from device to service.”

Sanjay Kaul, the president of Asia Pacific and Japan for Cisco Service Provider Business, pointed out that 5G is going to generate a lot of potential in the market.

They added: “5G is a phenomenal excuse for the industry to fix what they needed this past decade. 5G will define the future of the internet which in turn will power the digital universe. I believe this means we are building a network architecture that is infallible, intuitive, and intelligent and most of all, secure.”

While PM Narendra Modi has made assurances and has announced plans for the entire country, it now depends on telecom service providers to live up to the hype surrounding 5G, considering that 4G services in India are still not that stable.

5G was not the only thing that PM Modi talked about in the conference.

PM Modi also talked about the massive hike in growing broadband connections in the country, which has surpassed the 800 million mark. 

Narendra Modi said: “In 2014, India had six crore wired and wireless broadband users. Today, their number has increased to over 80 crore users.”

The latest announcement by PM Modi falls under the Digital India campaign, which was launched by the Government of India in order to ensure all services are made available to the citizens of the country electronically through online infrastructure. 

The main goal of the campaign is to increase internet connectivity or by making the country digitally empowered in the field of technology. 

Is 5G Available In India Right Now? 

Yes, 5G is available in India right now, however, it is only available in selected cities.

As of writing this, Airtel is offering 5G services in some areas of Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Siliguri, Varanasi and other cities in the country. Airtel, though, has assured that rollout across the country could be expected by March of 2024.

Jio on the other hand, has announced that the average Indian consumer will be able of using 5G services by the end of this year. The announcement was made by Akash Ambani, who said that Jio will be covering the entire country by December with the priority of making it affordable. 

Ambani also added that they will also produce their own device that would be affordable for every Indian so they can use 5G services at affordable rates. 

How Much Will 5G Cost In India?

Right now, there are no announced plans for 5G in the country, however companies that are offering 4G services have said that it is likely that the prices or plans for 5G services are going to be the same with 4G services.

This makes the plan of Narendra Modi to make India a step closer to Digitalization a big hit. 

Right now, you can purchase 15GB Data plans at just around 150 Rupees, which was once unthinkable considering telecom companies used to charge over 3000 Rupees for such data plans in the year 2014 and earlier. 

For more information about how much 5G will cost in India, stay tuned. 

Why Is 5G Important? 

When compared to 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G, 5G is extremely reliable and more steady.

The thing with 5G is that it is unified, has a more capable air interface and is designed specifically to offer next-gen user experience that would empower the development of new models and deliver better services.

5G mainly offers high speeds, better reliability and very low latency. These three things alone means that people in remote areas in countries like India, which is so massive, can taste high-internet speeds without the need of having a broadband or fiber connection.

This can benefit almost every single industry of all countries, particularly transportation, healthcare, logistics, and remote IT companies that have to offer live project demos to potential customers and clients. 

How Fast Is 5G? 

The most asked question about 5G is regarding its speed.

When compared to 4G, 5G is significantly faster. This one can deliver up to 20 Gigabits per seconds (Gbps) in peak data rates and around over 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) average data rates.

In recent Speed Testings in Denver, USA, it was found that Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband had download speeds of up to  988.37 Mbps, which is 820.2% better when compared to LTE (4G) services.  

For 5G India, a recent speed test that was carried out in a 5G Airtel outlet showed amazing results, where a download speed of 1.8 Gbps and upload speed of 130 Mbps was registered. 

Is My Current Phone 5G Compatible? 

The answer to this depends on which phone you’re currently using.

Most phones that were made in 2021 and 2022 are likely to be 5G compatible, which means, if you bought your device before that, it is likely that you will be required to make a new purchase for 5G services to work on the device that you have. 

Do You Really Need 5G?

A lot of people are not buying into the 5G hype, with many saying they still prefer using fiber internet connections or they are still not getting fast 4G speeds, so to answer the question, it all depends on where you are and what your needs are.

If you live in cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Siliguri, and Varanasi, you can use 5G, however, if you are outside those cities, having a stable 4G connection would be enough. But if you live in undeveloped cities that barely have an internet connection, then you would have to wait more to avail 5G services. 

Like what the owner of Jio said, they are planning to offer 5G services by the end of this year to all the people that are in India at extremely low rates. 

Is 5G More Stable When Compared To Broadband And Fiber Internet Connection? 

Right now, 5G is being tested in India and countries across the globe, and the resources to offer a stable wireless connection to mobile devices that support 5G is still not enough, however, in the future, it is likely that 5G will be more stable when compared to Broadband and Fiber Internet Connection. 

Like what we mentioned earlier, recently Speed Testings in Denver, USA showed amazing signs on how well Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband was doing. Their 5G internet had download speeds of up to  988.37 Mbps, which is 820.2% better when compared to LTE (4G) services.  

Now, it all depends on how stable it will be in India, particularly on telcom giants like Airtel and Jio, which are racing against each other to offer 5G services at extremely low rates in the country so the average consumer can use it. 

The Waiting Game Starts

With multiple telecom companies in India assuring that 5G would be available in the next year or 2 years in the country, the waiting game for tech-enthusiasts now begins. Those with 5G phones are eagerly waiting to taste fast wireless internet speeds while moving across the country, which could make everything more efficient, stable and more affordable.