5G Services To Be Available In India In October

The 5G spectrum auctions just debuted in India and it lays the framework for the much-awaited rollout of the next-generation cellular network. At the end of the Day 1 of 5G auction, there were four rounds of biddings from the leading telecom service providers - Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea and the latest market entrant Adani Group.

5G Spectrum Bidding

In the bidding, Jio has spent a maximum of over Rs. 80,000 crores on Day 1. On the other hand, Airtel and Vi spent Rs. 45,000 crores and Rs. 18,400 crores respectively. Following the same, the fifth round of auctions were held. Based on the analysis of Day 1 bidding, Jio 5G service is expected to be better than that of Airtel and Vi.

On the whole, the first four initial rounds of bidding generated a revenue of nearly Rs. 1,45,000 crores. It is expected that the 5G auction process could be completed by August 14. However, there is no official confirmation from the telecom operators regarding the 5G tariff plans though it is expected that it could be a significant boost in terms of speed.

One of the previous reports hinted that the 5G plans will be priced almost similar to those of 4G plans that are offered currently in India. Recently, a study showed that India is offering the fifth lowest data pricing among 233 countries worldwide. We can expect the same trend to be followed even with the arrival of 5G networks.

5G Service Launch Date In India

As per the Information Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, 5G services could go live in India by September-October this year. It was stated that the next-gen connectivity could be launched as early as September itself. Given that there are several smartphones that support 5G networks in India, there will not be a scarcity in trying 5G services.

However, there could be delays in the launch schedule of 5G services for various reasons. We can expect the same to be rolled out in phases but official confirmation from the telecom operators is needed to confirm this. Already, Airtel confirmed that it will launch its 5G services in the country within two to three months of the spectrum auctions.