PM Modi Announces Formation of ‘Task Force’ to Prepare for India’s 6G Launch in 2023

Celebrating India’s 77th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the stage at New Delhi’s Red Fort to reflect on India’s progress in recent years. He highlighted India’s journey on its way to becoming the world’s third largest economy in providing the world’s most affordable mobile data and internet services.

Prime Minister Modi said that India has achieved the fastest nationwide 5G rollout with 700 districts already benefiting from the country’s 5G infrastructure. He also announced that India is already working to launch 6G, saying, “We have formed a 6G task force” during his speech at Red Fort this morning.

Speaking at the launch of 5G services at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi last year, Prime Minister Modi said that “130 million Indians will receive a remarkable gift in the form of 5G, thanks to both the nation and its telecom industry.” He further said that “5G is the beginning of a sky of infinite possibilities.”

For the uninitiated, India’s 5G spectrum auction began in July last year. Major carriers like Jio, Vodafone-Idea, Airtel and Adani bid, resulting in a record bid totaling Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio made the highest bid at Rs 88,078 followed by Airtel with a bid of Rs 43,084.

In particular, India’s 5G coverage has expanded to even the remotest corners of the country – covering holy places like the Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand. In April this year, Reliance Jio announced that Jio True 5G customers can use the Jio 5G network while traveling to the dhams of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri.

In addition to this development, a June report by Ericsson Mobility revealed that India had amassed around 10 million 5G subscriptions by the end of 2022, and predicted that this number would grow to cover 57 percent of all mobile subscriptions in the country by the end of 2028. India is the “fastest growing” 5G region globally.