IMC 2022: Reliance Jio And Airtel May Announce 5G Services In India After Official Announcement By PM Modi

Telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will be the first ones to roll out 5G services in a few cities.

The much-anticipated rollout of 5G services by PM Narendra Modi is going to be the biggest highlight of this year's IMC.

With India Mobile Congress (IMC) set to kick off on October 1 (tomorrow), the much-anticipated rollout of 5G services by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to be the biggest highlight of this year's iteration of IMC. Telecom industry tycoons Sunil Mittal, Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla are also likely to make a beeline for the keynote address at the sixth edition of the IMC that will take place at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from October 1-4.

According to a report by HBL, telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will be the first ones to roll out 5G services in a few cities. Earlier this month, telecom major Bharti Airtel's CEO Gopal Vittal said in a communication to the customers that it expects to launch 5G services within a month. The company CEO had mentioned that Airtel aims to cover key metros by December.

Vittal also mentioned in the letter that the Airtel SIMs are already 5G-enabled and they would work "seamlessly" on 5G smartphones.

Reliance Jio had also announced that it would roll out its 5G services in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai by Diwali this year. “By December 2023, which is less than 18 months from today, we will deliver Jio 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil of our country," Mukesh Ambani, Chairperson of Reliance Industries had earlier said.

The company is investing Rs 2 lakh crore to develop its pan-India 5G network. 

Meanwhile, India Mobile Congress invited enthusiasts and experts to IMC 2022 and posted on Twitter yesterday: "It is India’s century, we are better together, and the role of technology is immense in this sphere, as it brings a billion voices together and strengthens our resolve for self-reliance. Join us at Pragati Maidan on October 01 – 04, 2022 to Hear, See & know more."

Four telecom operators placed bids during the 5G spectrum auction namely, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vi (Vodafone Idea) and Adani Data Networks. Jio led with a total bid of Rs 88,078 crores. Airtel came in second with Rs 43,084 crores. Vi came in third with Rs 18,799 crores. And lastly, Adani Data Networks placed a bid of Rs 212 crores.