Girja Shankar Kaura
Ushering in a new technological era, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched 5G services for the country while also inaugurating the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress which is hosting an IMC Exhibition that was put on the occasion.
While launching the advanced radio waves, Prime Minister said that the Summit might be global, but its repercussions and directions are local. He said today is a special day for the fast-developing India of the 21st century. “Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and from the telecom industry of the country. 5G is a knock on the doors of a new era in the country. 5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities. I congratulate every Indian for this,” he said.
Prime Minister stressed “New India will not remain a mere consumer of technology, but India will play an active role in the development and implementation of that technology. India will play a big role in designing the future wireless technology, and manufacturing related to it”.
The Prime Minister pointed out that India was dependent on other countries for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies. But with 5G, India has created a new history. “With 5G, India is setting a global standard in telecom technology for the first time”, he remarked.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprise and Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, the heads of the three major mobile telephony operators were present at the occasion and the three operators also demonstrated the benefits that the 5G services would give to the consumers around the country.
Talking about Digital India, the Prime Minister said that some people think that this is just a government scheme. “But Digital India is not just a name it 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.” Focusing on the need for a holistic approach to Digital India, the Prime Minister elaborated that “we focused on four pillars, in four directions at once. First, the price of the device, second, digital connectivity, third, the cost of data, fourth, and most importantly, the idea of digital first”.
The Prime Minister’s comments came after the three operators demonstrated the benefits of 5G services. Reliance Jio connected a teacher from a school in Mumbai, with students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Odisha. This demonstrated how 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer to students, obliviating the physical distance between them. It also demonstrated the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach children across the country, remotely, without the need for an AR device.
The Vodafone Idea test case 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 dais. Digital Twin will help give safety alerts to workers in real time from a remote location. PM took a live demo from the dais to monitor the work in real-time through utilising VR and Artificial Intelligence.
In the 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. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath connected from Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi.
Highlighting the government’s efforts in the field of digital payments, the Prime Minister remarked that it was the government that went ahead and made the way for digital payments easier. “The government itself promoted citizen-centric delivery service through the app. Whether it is about farmers or small shopkeepers, we have given them a way to meet their daily needs through the app”, Shri Modi added. He recounted the seamless continuation of DBT, education, vaccination and health services, and work-from-home during the pandemic when many countries were finding it difficult to keep these services going.
Mukesh Ambani in his comments said, “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”. Sunil Bharti Mittal remarked that the launch of 5G is the beginning of a new era and since it is happening during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, it 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”, he added.
Kumar Mangalam Birla called the advent of 5G a transformational event that proves India’s prowess on the global stage and reiterates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of India’s growth. The Prime Minister said that the cost of data is among the lowest in the world. It has come down from 300 rupees per GB to about 10 rupees per GB. He said that the use of 5G technology will not be limited to speedy internet access, but it has the capability to change lives.
5G technology will offer a wide range of benefits to the common people. It will help in providing seamless coverage, high data rate, low latency, and highly reliable communications. Also, It will increase energy efficiency, spectrum efficiency and network efficiency. 5G technology will help in connecting billions of Internet of Things devices will allow higher quality video services with mobility at high speed, and delivery of critical services such as telesurgery and autonomous cars among others. The technology will help in real-time monitoring of disasters, precision agriculture, and minimising the role of humans in dangerous industrial operations such as in deep mines, offshore activities etc.
