Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has today issued a Consultation Paper on “Digital Transformation through 5G Ecosystem”. The objective of this consultation paper is to identify the policy challenges and suggest the right policy framework for faster adoption and effective utilisation of new technologies for the holistic and sustainable development of the economy driven by 5G ecosystem.

India is undergoing a rapid digital transformation that is reshaping its economy and society. Fast and reliable mobile communication technologies are helping the Government in realising the objectives of Digital India programme. It is providing a boost to our economy and empowering the citizens through services like unified payment interface (UPI) and several other innovative G2B and G2C applications. With the advent of technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and Metaverse, India is poised to unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.

The 5G services was launched in India on 1^st October 2022 and the Telecom Service Providers are aggressively rolling out the 5G network across the length and breadth of the country. Government has taken several initiatives for building 5G infrastructure and for promoting R&D. TRAI has also made several recommendations for faster deployment of 5G network and services in the country. Cross sectoral collaborative initiatives have also been taken for facilitating fast roll out of 5G. In addition to the deployment of 5G infrastructure, development and deployment of new use cases for consumers and enterprises is essential for wide spread adoption and full realization of the potential of 5G technology. When 5G is used along with AI, extended reality (XR), and the Internet of Things (IoT), it will enable business and society to realise the full benefits of these other technological advances.

However, achieving this will require effective ecosystem collaboration between TSPs, OEMs, Infrastructure providers, and the Government to increase consumer adoption and market readiness to unlock large-scale benefits of 5G. Adequate infrastructure upgradation and fiberisation for 5G deployment, along with network densification need to be addressed to realise the full benefit of the technology across industries. 5G adoption will depend on factors such as dedicated R&D investments to develop India-specific use cases, enterprise penetration, device affordability, and consumer adoption.

With this background, the Authority has come out with this consultation paper on suo-motu basis to identify the policy challenges and suggest the right policy framework for faster adoption and effective utilisation of new technologies for the holistic and sustainable development of the economy driven by 5G ecosystem.

The Consultation Paper has been placed on TRAl’s website www.trai.gov.in for seeking inputs from the stakeholders. Written comments on the issues for consultation are invited from the stakeholders by 30^th October 2023 and counter-comments, if any, by   13^th November 2023.

The comments and counter-comments may be sent, preferably in electronic form by e-mail to advadmn@trai.gov.in with a copy to vibhatomar@trai.gov.in. For any clarification/information, Ms. Vandana Sethi, Advisor (Admin & IR) may be contacted at Tel. No. +91-11-23221509.

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