Prepare for 5G launch, says Telecom Minister as spectrum assignment letter gets issued

Prepare for 5G, says the Telecom Minister. A few weeks ago, the Government of India hosted the first spectrum auction for 5G in India. All three private sector network operators participated and acquired the rights to use the airwaves across various frequencies. Reliance Jio acquired the most frequencies, followed by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. The auction also saw Adani Group participate for buying a few airwaves for its personal use. Now, the government has directed the operators to get ready to launch 5G.

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has asked telecom service providers to get ready for the 5G launch after the spectrum allocation letters have been issued. The Department of Telecom (DoT) issued spectrum assignment letters on the same day the payment was made by bidders of radio waves.

"5G Update: Spectrum assignment letter issued. Requesting TSPs to prepare for 5G launch," Vaishnaw wrote on Twitter. The service providers include Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Adani Data Networks and Vodafone Idea, all of which participated in the recent auction.

Govt asks operators to prepare 5G for launch

Mukesh Ambani's Jio had acquired nearly half of all the airwaves, which were sold with a bid of ₹87,946.93 crores. Airtel had acquired 19,867.8 MHz spectrum by getting a pan-India footprint of 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands along with low and mid-band spectrum for ₹43,039.63 crores.

Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, "In my over 30 years of first-hand experience with DoT, this is a first! Business as it should be. Leadership at work-Right at the top and at the helm of telecom. What a Change! Change that can transform this nation – power its dreams to be a developed nation," Mittal said.

"Airtel paid ₹8,312.4 crore towards spectrum dues and was provided the allocation letter for the designated frequency bands within hours. E band allocation was given along with spectrum as promised. No Fuss, No Follow Up, No running around the corridors and No tall claims. This is ease of doing business at work in its full glory," Mittal said.

Airtel is the only network operator that promised to launch 5G services this month. The 5G services are expected to be revealed in the top cities and metros initially, followed by a slow rollout across the country. With 5G, consumers can expect faster mobile data speeds and stronger network connectivity.