Jio 5G service to be available in Kochi from today

Kochi: 5G service will be launched in Kerala on Tuesday. Reliance Jio will roll out the service in Kochi city. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the service.

The plan is to make 5G available in select areas in the first phase. Reliance had announced that it would make 5G available in all taluks of the country by December-end.

Since the launch of 5G on October 1, telecom operators have expanded their coverage to 50 cities across India.

Telecom operators are installing an average of 2,500 base stations per week for providing 5G services in the country.

According to Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, 20,980 mobile base stations have already been installed as of November 26.

Out of them, Reliance Jio and Airtel have installed 17,687 and 3,293 base stations, respectively.

However, operators like Vodafone Idea (VI) and BSNL are yet to launch their 5G services.

The Indian telecom industry is expected to grow by $12.5 billion every three years with the advent of 5G which has the potential to boost innovation across the globe, Deloitte India and CII revealed in a report recently.

According to the report, with ultra-low latency and high data rates, 5G is expected to create avenues of collaboration and alliances as well as drive India to reimagine a whole new way of engaging in the new, faster, agile digital world.

"By the end of 2023, it is anticipated that the Indian telecom industry will reach $125 billion, with 5G expected to increase revenue by $12.5 billion every three years," the report said.

According to the report, 5G will accelerate economic growth, increasing job opportunities and connecting the urban and rural populations.

It will drive efficiency in critical sectors such as energy, healthcare, and agriculture, a step in the direction of not only commercial consideration but also social outcomes.

(With PTI inputs)