According to statements given by Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Telecom Minister, and Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State, India’s 5G network is the second largest network in the world. The 5G rollout in India is still under process and is the fastest rollout across the world.

Aug 2, 2023

Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Telecom Minister of India (Department of Telecom – DoT), announced the continuation of the 5G rollout, which is the world’s second-largest 5G network and the fastest rollout. He stated, “The world’s fastest 5G rollout continues, with over 3 lakh sites installed in 714 districts. World’s second largest 5G ecosystem.”

According to information shared in the Parliament, over 3,00,000 sites (2,80,000 in July) have been installed in 714 districts of India within 10 months. The sites have been set up by the collaboration of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.

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Mr. Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State, shared in Rajya Sabha several government initiatives undertaken to speed up the 5G network rollout. He shared the simplification of the procedure for SACFA clearance for low Power Base Transceiver Station (BTS)/ small cells, that is Micro, Pico, and Femto-cells, on existing street furniture or infrastructure. The procedure for application and time-bound permission for usage of street furniture for installation of small cells and telegraph lines has been specified in the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022. The GatiShakti Sanchar portal has also been launched to facilitate and expedite Right of Way permissions, by providing a single interface between all stakeholders including central and state/UT government(s), local bodies, and service providers.

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DoT shared in the Parliament that as of July 7, 5G networks have been rolled out in 717 districts across the country. The department has also formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee for the adaptation of sector-specific 5G use cases.

DoT has sent communications across different ministries for effective utilization of the advancement in 5G technology. The use cases span various socioeconomic sectors, such as education, agriculture, health, power, urban management, mining, logistics, resource management, tourism, sports, security, e-governance, etc.