Wait for 5G is over: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

During the Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about launching 5G services in India. He said the "wait for 5G" is over. In addition, PM said that Indian villages will have access to fiber optics and the Internet will reach every village in the country.

Some reports suggest that two major telecom carriers, Reliance Jio and Airtel, will launch their 5G services today, on the occasion of Independence Day. These major telecom carriers have been developing their 5G services for quite some time. Both Jio and Airtel are struggling to launch 5G services in India first.

Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal recently said that the operator will launch 5G services very soon without disclosing the exact timeline. However, some reports suggest that Airtel's 5G service will launch this month's end. The CEO also said that Airtel plans to cover all towns and cities, including rural areas, by 2024. Meanwhile, some reports suggest that Jio will launch its 5G services on August 15, which is today. The company has not yet revealed any specific details.

All major telecom carriers like Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vi and Adani Data Network, which were part of the auction, are working to roll out 5G services soon. Airtel recently announced that it will start rolling out the 5G network in India by August end and announced partnerships with tech companies like Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson.

Some other reports circulating on the internet suggest that PM Modi will launch 5G at the opening of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) on September 29. As for the price, the CEO of Airtel, a few months ago, said that the prices of 5G plans will be almost on a par with 4G plans. At least that is what is expected to happen initially. "We will know the final costs only after the spectrum auction. If you look at other markets, where operators are already proving 5G, we haven't seen them charging a premium for it over 4G," said the Airtel CEO.