A panel report tabled in Parliament has said that the government expects that the roll-out of 5G services will start in early-2022 after another round of spectrum auction that is planned to be held after six months. The Standing Committee on Information Technology pulled up the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for delay in the launch of 5G services when several countries have commercially rolled out the next-generation technology.
The report has stated that the telecom ministry has already announced the auction of spectrum worth Rs 3.92 lakh crore from March 1, but it does not include the desired frequency band for 5G services. It also said the committee has been informed that by the end of the calendar year 2021 or beginning of 2022, there will be some roll-out in India in some specific uses, because 4G should continue in India for at least another 5-6 years.
The panel further said that from the foregoing, the committee are inclined to conclude that sufficient preparatory work has not been undertaken for launching 5G services in India. As such, India has not moved beyond the modest beginning stage as compared to other countries in the world. The delay in the launch of 5G services reflects poorly on planning and execution in the country.