New Delhi: Ushering in a new technological era, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched 5G services in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi today. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the sixth edition of the India Mobile Congress and also witnessed the IMC Exhibition that was put on the occasion.
Industry leaders expressed their views on this historic occasion.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance, thanked the Prime Minister for inspiring the vision of a developed nation by 2047. “Every action and policy of the government is skillfully crafted to propel India, towards that goal. Steps taken to fast-track India’s march into the 5G era provide compelling proof of our Prime Minister’s determination”, he said. He narrated the possibilities of 5G in key areas like education, education and climate etc. “Your leadership has raised India’s prestige, profile and power globally like never before. In today’s fast-changing world there will be no stopping a resurgent India from soaring to the top”, Shri Ambani concluded.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprise remarked that the launch of 5G is the beginning of a new era and since it is happening during Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, it makes it even more special. “With the efforts of the Prime Minister, this will usher new energy in the country. We are fortunate to have a leader in the Prime Minister who understands technology very minutely and deployed that to the development of the country in an unmatched manner”, he added. Shri Mittal further said that it will open up a sea of opportunities for people, especially in our rural areas. He recalled the Prime Minister’s initiatives in the field of infrastructure and technology from his Gujarat CM days. He said that during the pandemic, traffic shifted to villages and homes and the country’s heartbeat did not stop even for a second. Credit for that goes to the digital vision. He also praised the audacity and achievement of the vision of Make in India.“Along with Digital India, the Prime Minister also took forward the Start-up India campaign and soon enough, India started producing unicorns”, Shri Mittal added, “With the advent of 5G, I’m sure that the country will add many more unicorns in the world.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group called the advent of 5G a transformational event that proves India’s prowess on the global stage and reiterates the role of telecom technology as the bedrock of India’s growth. He thanked the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his vision and leadership for a generational leap in technology that has resulted in India making a mark on the global stage. He also thanked the Prime Minister for his inspirational role in supporting the telecom industry during the ongoing pandemic and for the path-breaking telecom reforms in the industry. Shri Birla said that the launch of 5G marks the beginning of an exciting journey for India. “We will see limitless potential for 5G development and use cases in the years to come”, he added.
The three major telecom operators of the country demonstrated one use case each in front of the Prime Minister to show the potential of 5G technology in India.
Reliance Jio connected a teacher from a school in Mumbai, with students in three different locations in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Odisha. This demonstrated how 5G will facilitate education by bringing teachers closer to students, obliviating the physical distance between them. It also demonstrated the power of Augmented Reality (AR) on screen and how that is being used to teach children across the country, remotely, without the need for an AR device. The Prime Minister interacted with students from Dnyanjyoti Savitribai Phule School, Raigad, Maharashtra in presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. Students from Ropda Primary School, Gandhinagar, Gujarat connected in presence of Gujarat Chief Minister, Bhupendra Patel. The Prime Minister also interacted with students from SLS Memorial School, Myurbhanj, Odisha in presence of Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.
The Vodafone Idea test case demonstrated the safety of workers in an under-construction tunnel of Delhi Metro through the creation of a Digital Twin of the tunnel on the dias. Digital Twin will help give safety alerts to workers in real time from a remote location. PM took a live demo from the dias to monitor the work in real-time through utilising VR and Artificial Intelligence. The Prime Minister interacted with Shri Rinku Kumar, a worker in Delhi Metro Tunnel Dwarka, New Delhi in presence of Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Shri Vinai Saxena. The Prime Minister inquired about the user experience and learning curve needed to adopt the technology. He said that workers’ confidence in safety is the biggest contribution of new tech. He complimented the workers of India for their contribution to the nation’s growth.
In the Airtel demo, students from Dankaur, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a lively and immersive education experience to learn about the solar system with the help of Virtual reality and Augmented reality. A student Khushi, shared her experience of learning with the PM by appearing on the dias through a hologram. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adiyanath connected from Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi. The Prime Minister inquired if the VR education experience helped them understand the concepts in a comprehensive way. The student said that after this experience she is much more inclined toward learning new things.
