India is not just moving towards indigenous 4G with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), but also indigenous 5G. The Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision of PM Modi has completely changed the outlook of the telecom manufacturing industry, said Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications. “In another 6 to 9 months, we will have indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured 5G mobile network in our country,” said Chauhan in a virtual event organised by the Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA).
Government Working to Ensure Issues Related to RoW Get Resolved Soon
The issues related to the Right of Way (RoW) rules have been plaguing the telecom industry for a long-time. For a successful future of the telecom sector, these issues need to be resolved, and RoW permissions need to be cleared fast so that digital connectivity can reach the most backward parts of the country as well. “Government has been and will be taking several initiatives to address several issues pertaining to RoW and protection of telecom installations,” Chauhan added. Fiberisation is one area where India needs to focus heavily. The MoS for Communications said that as part of the government’s National Broadband Mission, a total of 5 million km of cumulative fiberisation is required by 2024. Another exciting area for India to develop the digital infrastructure is the deployment of small outdoor cells. “Deploying small cells for network densification offers another exciting opportunity. Outdoor small cell deployment in India is expected to reach 475,000–550,000 by 2025,” said Chauhan. The small cells will help the telcos in delivering fast 5G as well as 4G networks with better coverage and fewer worries of network interruptions. Chauhan said that his ministry is working towards achieving the goal of PM Modi to provide fiber in six lakh villages of India. During the same event, TRAI Chairman, P D Vaghela said that India would see an addition of over 8 lakh new mobile towers in the next two years.
