Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G network services on Saturday, promising ultra-high-speed internet on cell phones, saying it marks the beginning of a new era with limitless possibilities. Later this month, 5G services will be carried out in 13 cities, with the objective of cross-country inclusion in the following two years.

Modi said it is a special day for the world’s fifth largest economy as he introduced the services at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022.

“Today, 130 crore Indians are getting a wonderful gift in the form of 5G from the country and the telecom industry of the country,” he said, adding that 5G is the dawn of a new era. “5G is the beginning of an infinite sky of opportunities.”

With a quicker speed than 4G and a lag-free network, 5G can empower billions of connected gadgets to share information progressively. The 5G services will progressively cover the whole country in the next two or three years—Reliance Jio promises to do that by December 2023 and Bharti Airtel by March 2024.

GAMING
Niraj Bora, Founder of Surmount Business Advisors Pvt Ltd, said that just as 3G and broadband-enabled high adoption of video streaming and online gaming, 5G will usher in the mass adoption of high data consumption use cases for various applications across sectors.

Sanjay Lodha, a co-founder at Netweb Technologies, said that “non-important segments” like gaming and Metaverse will benefit from 5G.

As per Roland Landers, CEO of All India Gaming Federation, 5G will be a game-changer for online gaming. “Low latency and high bandwidth will allow an immersive experience for online multiplayer games on all platforms. 5G will be significant for cloud gaming, where even low-specification hardware and smartphones can run high-quality games. Similarly, it will change the AR/VR experience for the gaming industry, “he said.

Soham Thacker, CEO, and Founder of Gamerji stated that 5G will empower the growth that India has already witnessed in the gaming sector by providing more opportunities for local publishers to introduce high-end mobile games that require faster speeds for competitive gaming. This will also enhance the market for live streaming and live online content.

Parth Chadha, Co-Founder and CEO of STAN, told News18: “5G is going to act as a catalyst for unprecedented development and progress of the already booming gaming industry in India.”

TRANSFORMING INDIA
Anku Jain, MD, MediaTek India, said 5G will be a key driver for Digital India initiatives and realizing Design in India opportunities, leveraging disruptive technologies like AI, cloud, and others across the ecosystem.

“We foresee India becoming a major hub for cutting-edge semiconductor R&D and design. The rollout of 5G services will accelerate the next wave of digital transformation. “MediaTek congratulates the people of India and we are extremely proud to be a part of this significant milestone in India’s journey towards Atmanirbharta.”

According to Devroop Dhar, Co-Founder of Primus Partners, along with education and healthcare, 5G will tremendously transform sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and construction.

“Technologies like IoT will help farmers understand the crop cycle and the soil condition in real-time. With talks of Agriculture 4.0 arriving in India with a boost of technology in the sector, 5G will prove to be a game-changer in assisting the farmers, easing their burden, and improving the quality of work.”

Sanjeev Barnwal, Founder and CTO of e-commerce platform Meesho, said such a revolutionary technology will not only help in the digitization of millions of small businesses in the country but also provide impetus to the government’s goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025.

“As a tech-first e-commerce company, we’re also excited to see its potential impact on the adoption of newer innovations like live/video commerce, especially in the tier 2+ markets,” he added.

Credit: News18