High-speed fifth generation (5G) telecom services were launched in Odisha on Thursday by communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. A full statewide network rollout is anticipated to be complete by 2024.
“In the first stage of the nationwide launch, 5G services are introduced in Odisha. According to Vaishnaw, every village in Odisha will have access to fibre optic internet by August 2024.
Shiksha O Anusandhan (SOA) University in Bhubaneswar has hosted demonstrations of 5G-driven application cases by incumbent telecom providers Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.
Vaishnaw said that BSNL, a state-run company, would roll out 5G services by 2024 and become a powerful organisation with assistance from the government.
The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set aside Rs 5,600 crores to instal 5,000 towers across 7,000 villages in Odisha, Vaishnaw continued.
The Minister of Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan, predicted that 5G technology would revolutionise the educational landscape.
Pradhan added that the low-latency communication capabilities of 5G would support a variety of use cases, including telemedicine and remote operations.
“Among other things, 5G will make the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities possible. Additionally, we have created live experience zones, according to K Rajaraman, secretary of the Department of Telecommunications.
Rajaraman added that 100 laboratories will be installed at various engineering institutions across the nation, adding that the density of telecom infrastructure has increased in the last ten years.
Jio has established a 5G experience lab on the campus of the university to support research and use cases based on 5G technology. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the university and the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) to support startups and skill development in the region.
The launch of 5G services by incumbent telcos in popular cities commencing in October 2022 is closely followed by the debut of those services in Odisha.
Odisha also happens to be the state in which Droupadi Murmu, the fifteenth Indian president, was born.
In rural regions of Odisha, Vaishnaw also showcased 100 fourth-generation (4G) telecom towers.
According to the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association, Odisha has 23,506 telecom towers, with 33.42% of them fiber-optic (Dipa).
According to the Delhi-based association, telecom operators can give infrastructure suppliers with a strategy for fully covering Odisha with 5G.
“49,645 new towers are anticipated to be deployed, bringing the degree of fiberization to 70%, in order to meet the National Broadband Mission targets. To provide the state with next-generation services, 39,595 towers will be needed by the end of CY 2023, according to Tilak Raj Dua, director general of Dipa.
According to Dua, the network will require the deployment of low-power BTS and small cells that may be placed above street furniture in order to increase network density and 5G penetration.
In the nation’s first 5G airwaves sale, the Center auctioned off 72,098MHz of spectrum in the low, mid, and high frequency bands, of which 51,236MHz (71% of the total) was sold with bids totaling Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
Prasanta Patnaik