India is on the verge of getting its first commercial 5G network. The day is not far when either Airtel or Jio would announce that they are switching on 5G for select circles. But this wouldn’t excite everyone in the country as most of the country will still be under the blanket of 4G networks. The question that needs addressing is when will 5G reach everywhere, like 4G? Ashwini Vaishnaw, union telecom minister, said 5G would reach almost all parts of the country in the next two to three years. For this statement to be true, a lot of things need to go right. According to a PTI report, Vaishnaw also said that an investment of Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 lakh crore is expected to come into the industry, which would be good for employment generation. Vaishnaw has said October is the month when 5G services could be launched. This is because the telecom companies are busy laying infrastructure at the moment.
Simplified 5G RoW Policies
Much recently, Vaishnaw announced the amendments in the Indian Telegraphy Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2016. The rules have been simplified in multiple aspects. The government wants to save the telcos both time and money when it comes to 5G RoW applications. It would ensure that India could get on its 5G journey as fast as possible. One of the many reasons behind the slow 4G rollout in India was the way RoW applications were approved in different states. Most of the states/UTs had their own RoW rules and applied their own charges. But now, several states have come on board with the government’s central RoW policy to ensure that the telcos prioritise them for rolling out 5G. The telecom operators would need to invest heavily in infrastructure with 5G, and thus, a simplified RoW policy was the need of the hour.
