Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of Aditya Birla GroupBirla Group, said that 5 G was the beginning of an exciting journey for India. He said India has witnessed a generational leap in technology. KM Birla, who had stepped down as non-executive director and non-executive chairman of Vodafone Idea s board in August last year, spoke about the telecom company's plans for 5 G and said that the company has upgraded the network for a seamless transition to 5 G.
Birla said that we have witnessed a generational leap in technology after the launch of the ultra high-speed internet services in the nation at the India Mobile Congress 2022. This is a leap that shows India's prowess on the global stage and reinforces the role of the telecom industry as the bedrock of Digital India. KM Birla said that the telecom industry has been one of the country's key growth engines, catapulting India into the top 5 economies of the world. It continues to play a transformational role, touching every aspect of our daily life and work. He said that we are about to make a huge leap into the future.
3 billion Indians and thousands of enterprises will be able to access 5 G services with the launch of 5 G services, said Birla. Industrialist predicted that the digital economy would contribute a trillion dollar to the $5 trillion dollar economy that India was gearing up to become in the coming years.
5 G will make a positive impact in industries like Industry 4.0, automated manufacturing, smart cities, smart cars, smart homes, immersive gaming, and other innovative businesses and consumer solutions. He said 5 G will enable inclusive growth and prosperity in rural India and will be accelerated by immersive education, remote health and smart agriculture. Birla said that government policies and platforms such as Gati Shakti and Make in India will play a crucial role in catalysing the required investment into the telecom sector.
KM Birla thanked PM Modi for making critical policy interventions, boosting investor confidence in the sector. Birla hopes to see continued policy support to drive the 5 G revolution in this digital decade.
Vodafone Idea has 214 million citizens connected to our networks, with 50 per cent of them in rural India. Our networks have been upgraded to be capable of a smooth migration to 5 G, having taken concrete steps for the 5 G ecosystem development, 5 G use cases for Indian enterprises and consumers and the acquisition of 5 G spectrum in a very well-designed auction. He said we will leverage our strong presence in rural India, our enterprise customers, our technology partners and global experience of the Vodafone Group for progressively rolling out our 5 G networks and services in the coming period.
Birla emphasised the need for safe working conditions for workers at infrastructure and construction sites because of the unique use cases of 5 G that Vodafone Idea demonstrated.
The launch of 5 G services marks the beginning of an exciting journey for India. As the ecosystem evolves, we'll see limitless potential for 5 G development and use cases in the years to come, said KM Birla.