5G in India: 20,980 base stations installed, Govt tells Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, December 19: Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have begun providing 5G services in the country, with a total of 20,980 base station services installed in 14 states and union territories as of November 26 this year, according to the Minister of State for Communication Devusingh Chauhan.

In a written reply to a question by BJP Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on 5G towers, the minister informed the TSPs are installing around 2,500 base stations per week on average. The most 5G base stations have been installed in Delhi, with 5,829 (938 Airtel and 4,891 Reliance Jio), followed by Maharashtra, which has 4,051 base stations.

"Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have started providing 5G services in the country from October 1, 2022, onwards. As on November 26, 2022, 20,980 base stations have been installed in 14 states/UTs," he said.

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The minister said TSPs have reported that they are presently providing 5G services to their subscribers, having 5G enabled devices, at no extra cost. TSPs are currently not keeping a separate count of 5G users.

According to the Notice Inviting Application for Spectrum Auction and License Conditions issued on June 15 of this year, the rollout obligations must be met over a five-year period, phased, from the date of spectrum allocation.

"Further expansion of mobile networks beyond the mandatory rollout obligations, depends on the techno-commercial consideration of the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)," the Minister added.

When asked if the government is considering any policy measures to expedite the installation of 5G capacity in the country, Chauhan stated that the government has taken a number of policy initiatives to expedite the installation of 5G capacity.

Among the steps is the availability of additional spectrum for mobile services, as well as permission for spectrum sharing, trading, leasing, and surrender in accordance with existing NIA terms and conditions and guidelines.