New Delhi: India has become one of the top three nations with the largest 5G installed base in the world, informed Nokia President and CEO Pekka Lundmark while addressing an event marking the launch of the company’s 6G research lab in Bengaluru.
Lundmark said, “5G rollout in India is truly remarkable. This has been one of the fastest telecom network roll-outs ever and means India is now among the top three countries in the world that have the largest 5G installed base, with 5G download speeds beating those found in many advanced markets.”
Telecom gear shipments have declined in major regions, but the 5G rollout in India has boosted Ericsson and Nokia’s business.
In the June quarter of 2023, Nokia saw a 333 percent growth in India sales, reaching around ₹9,500 crore. Ericsson reported a 74 percent growth in net sales in the “South East Asia, Oceania, and India” region, with around 90% of its business coming from India.
Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, reportedly, plan to invest approximately ₹75,000 crore in the current fiscal year to strengthen their networks. However, investments are expected to taper down after meeting their 5G rollout targets.
Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw virtually inaugurated Nokia’s 6G Lab. This unique project aims to speed up the development of essential 6G technologies that will meet the future needs of both industries and society.
Nokia’s 6G lab will serve as a place for different industry partners to collaborate and test innovative solutions, exploring their potential for commercial use. The lab is set up to study ‘Network as a Sensor’ technology, allowing the network to detect objects, people, and movement without needing additional sensors.
In the 6G era, ‘Network as a Sensor’ is crucial for uniting the digital and physical worlds, as stated by Nokia. It will integrate sensing into wireless networks while working simultaneously with communication services.
“Nokia’s experts at its Bengaluru centre will support India’s ambition to make notable contributions towards global 6G technology standards. Further, it is in the process of building research collaborations with premier research institutes in India like IISc and IITs to further scale up the 6G research initiative in India,” the statement by Nokia further added.
Recently, India’s proposal for widespread 6G technology coverage was accepted by the UN body ITU’s Study Group in Geneva. This move is expected to lower the cost of deploying next-gen technology.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) develops global mobile telecommunication standards after coordinating with member countries, tech firms, and stakeholders.
India has already obtained over 200 patents in 6G technology through collaborations between the industry and academia, with support from the Department of Telecom.
Also Read More –
- Ericsson, Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) set up Centre of Excellence in Delhi to train students in 5G
- Government wants all telcos to rollout 5G in 26 GHz band before Aug 16 deadline
