How Long Will 2G Network Stay In India

Despite private telecom players looking for testing 5G networks in the country, there are many customers in rural areas that are still using 2G networks. The 2G networks are known as the lifeline for Indian Telecom ever since it has been launched in the country.

Currently, 51 percent of customers of Airtel are using the 2G network, whereas Vi (Vodafone-Idea) is serving 63 percent of 2G users in the country. But now, the situation has been changed as Reliance Jio is likely to bring affordable 4G devices in December this year. So, now the question comes here that how long 2G will stay in India.

These developments come after Airtel and Vi shut down their 3G business in the country. Besides, Airtel said that it is refarming its 2G network to boost a 4G network in 10 circles like Karnataka, Delhi, Rajasthan, Kolkata, Andhra Pradesh, and North East. However, that doesn't mean that the company will stop offering 2G services in India.

On the other hand, India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio said that it is focussing on the 5G network. "Jio has designed and developed a complete 5G solution from scratch. It will be ready for trials as soon as 5G spectrum is available and can be ready for field deployment next year," says Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries.

The company focuses on building 5G smartphones in the country in partnership with Google. Surprisingly, the upcoming 5G smartphones are expected to be priced under Rs. 5,000, which will create a big issue for Chinese players. Additionally, Reliance Jio wants 2G free India; however, Airtel and Vi are totally against this idea as both are getting a major chunk of revenue from this segment.

Similarly, the government has cleared its stand on the 2G network and said that it has no intention to discontinue the network as more than 300 million customers in India are using the same technology. This means that 2G will stay in the country for a long period and industry body GSMA also believes that 12 to 13 percent will continue to use 2G devices until 2025.