The PM will launch the much-awaited service at the 6th Edition of India Mobile Congress 2022 to be held from October 1-4, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

India Mobile Congress (IMC), which claims to be the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, is jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

Besides powering ultra-low latency connections, which allow downloading full-length high-quality video or movie to a mobile device in a matter of seconds (even in crowded areas), 5G can enable solutions such as e-health, connected vehicles, more-immersive augmented reality and metaverse experiences, life-saving use cases, and advanced mobile cloud gaming, among others.

“5G can unleash new economic opportunities and societal benefits, giving it the potential for being a transformational force for Indian society. It will help the country leapfrog the traditional barriers to development, spur innovations by startups and business enterprises as well as advance the ‘Digital India’ vision,” an official release said.

India’s biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum held recently had received a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore of bids, with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio cornering nearly half of all the airwaves sold with a Rs 88,078 crore bid.

The government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage of 5G telecom services in the country in a short timeframe, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said.

Addressing an industry event in the national capital recently, Mr Vaishnaw had said, “the journey of 5G is going to be very exciting and noted that many countries took multiple years to reach 40 per cent to 50 per cent coverage. But we are targeting a very aggressive timeline and the Government has given a target of 80 per cent coverage in a short time frame, and we should definitely cover at least 80 per cent in a very short timeframe.”

Experts have said 5G technology will greatly benefit India. It is likely to benefit the Indian economy by Rs 36.4 trillion ($455 billion) between 2023 and 2040, a recent report by a global industry body representing mobile network operators estimated.

5G will account for more than a third of total connections in India by 2030, with the share of 2G and 3G dwindling to less than 10 per cent, the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications) report said, noting that India’s high level of 4G adoption (79 per cent) indicates a subscriber base ready to transition to 5G.

The report also estimated which sectors will realise how much benefit of 5G technology — manufacturing sector (representing 20 per cent of the total benefit), retail (12 per cent), and agriculture (11 per cent).India Mobile Congress (IMC), which claims to be the largest telecom, media, and technology forum in Asia, is jointly organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).