5G in India

5G, the fifth generation of cellular networks, heralds a new era in communications- it brings a paradigm shift in the role of mobile technologies beyond connectivity. As the country moves ahead with its Digital India vision, it offers the opportunity to leapfrog to the next generation of digital connectivity and create new business models and revenue streams.

Driving the 5G engine with research and standardization

5G technologies will transform the network

5G in India – journey towards new possibilities

Opportunities for CSPs and enterprise

India is expected to emerge into a trillion-dollar digital economy by 2030 as per market projections and 5G is expected to play a major role here. Implementation of 5G and associated technologies will help drive digital transformation to achieve the goal of digital inclusion and connected society. 5G will empower the CSPs and enterprises to reshape their business models to launch innovative services.

As per estimates, 5G connections in India is expected to reach near 369 million subscribers by 2026 The numbers may vary across market reports but a strong demand for 5G in India remains the bottom line.

5G launch in India

5G services in India were formally launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 1st October 2022, at the 6th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC). The launch also saw the announcements by the private CSPs on providing 5G services across India by end of 2023- early 2024. Reliance Jio is planning for pan India 5G presence by end of 2023 while Bharti Airtel is aiming for a pan India footprint by end of March 2024. Vodafone Idea also announced that it plans to roll out 5G service in India soon.

While several cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Bangalore and others already have access to 5G services, over the next few months, the CSPs will be expanding the 5G services to newer areas and introducing new use cases. Nokia has already announced commercial deals with Reliance Jio and Bharti for 5G network deployment.

Nokia preparedness

Nokia is already manufacturing 5G NR and 5G Massive MIMO equipment at its Chennai factory that can take care of our domestic demand and as well as the ongoing export of 5G gear to other countries.

Nokia Global Delivery Centres in Chennai and Noida are already handling 5G network operations in several countries and our strong pool of 5G skilled workforce can very well support the Indian CSPs to scale for 5G launch. Our R&D centre in Bangalore is playing a key role in developing local ecosystem partnership to develop 5G use-cases.

Nokia in association with NIIT and COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) launched 5G certification program - a first-of-its-kind opportunity for professionals and organizations across India