PM Narendra Modi to launch 5G testbed today

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a 5G testbed on Tuesday (May 17) which will support the country’s telecom industry and startups to validate their products, prototypes and solutions in the fifth generation, as well as next-generation technologies.

Modi will address a virtual program today at around 11:00 am, marking the silver jubilee celebration of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The PM will also release a postal stamp to commemorate the occasion, as per a government press release.

The 5G testbed has been developed as a multi-institute collaborative project by a total of eight institutes, led by IIT Madras. 

The other institutes that participated in the project include IIT Delhi, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research (SAMEER) and Centre of Excellence in Wireless Technology (CEWiT).

The project has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 220 crore, the release added.

“The testbed will enable a supportive ecosystem for Indian industry and startups which will help them validate their products, prototypes, solutions and algorithms in 5G and next-generation technologies,” it said.

When will the launch of testbed come? 

The launch of the testbed will come on a day that the Digital Communications Commission (DCC), which is the highest decision-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), is likely to decide upon the modalities of the 5G spectrum auction.

The meeting is expected to decide upon the tenure for which to give out spectrum to telcos, the roll out obligations for certain 5G bands and ways in which telcos could partner with the industry for private captive 5G networks, among other issues.

When was TRAI established? 

TRAI was established in 1997 through the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.

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