As the Indian government officially announced, the 5G mega spectrum auction will take place by July end. By leasing spectrums for a period of 20 years, the telecom networks will be able to roll out a 5G network. According to Ashwini Vaishnav, the network will be operational by August-September. According to the minister, 20 to 25 cities across the country will be connected to 5G by the end of 2022.
PTI reported that the union minister said this at a media summit on June 18th. That the country’s 5G data prices will be “significantly lower than the global average”. While the auction will take place next month, the background process has already begun.
The Union minister confirms that a 5G network will be installed in 20-25 cities across the country. Only 13 Indian cities will be connected to 5G in the first phase, according to the recent government release. Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh will be included.
The PTI report also mentions that minister Vaishnaw has noted that India’s internet data rates are approximately $2 (roughly Rs 155), compared to the global average of $25 (roughly Rs 1,900). Similarly, the 5G network prices in India will be comparable to the 4G network.
Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon made a similar statement earlier this year. When he said that 5G and 4G tariffs in India would not be radically different. After the spectrum auction, the final costs will be known. In other markets, where operators have already demonstrated 5G, we haven’t seen them charge more than 4G,” said Sekhon.
