5G Launched In Odisha; Things You Should Know

Bhubaneswar: Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday launched the 5G service in Odisha during a programme at SOA Campus-2, here.

The next generation of mobile broadband will be available in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in the initial phase while Reliance Jio aims to extend it to other cities in the coming days. According to sources, 510 base transceiver stations (BTS) towers have already been installed across the state by telecom operators Reliance Jio and Airtel. Jio has also set up a 5G experience lab at SOA.

Vaishanaw said that entire Odisha will be covered with 5G services by December 31, 2024. “Eight software technology parks will be set up by December 31, 2023, while mobile towers will be set up at all crucial places across Odisha by August 15, 2024,” he said while inaugurating 100 telecom towers for rural areas. 

“Today, 4.5 crore Odias are getting the gift of 5G. It will usher in infinite possibilities, help realise PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Purvodaya and pave the way for a new era in Odisha,” Dharmendra said.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 5G SERVICE

>> 5G has the potential to be up to 10 times faster than 4G. At its peak, the internet speed on 5G could touch 10 Gbps, compared to the 100 Mbps peak of 4G, which means faster download and upload speeds for the users. As per reports, mobile subscribers will get a speed of 600 megabit per second during the launch phase as the load on the network will be low. However, it will continue to remain in the range of 200-300 mbps after the full rollout.

>> To run 5G on your mobile, it must be 5G-enabled. All smartphone companies — Samsung, Realme, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Nokia — are offering 5G phones across price categories.

>> The rollout is expected to bring more development in remote data monitoring in sectors such as mining, warehousing, telemedicine, and manufacturing, among others. Another sector where 5G will benefit customers is edge computing.

>> 5G technology can greatly reduce the workload of those involved in real-time monitoring of disasters, precision agriculture, deep mines and offshore operations.

>> India service providers have not yet revealed the 5G plans in India. However, Jio has announced a free welcome offer for its 5G services. While Airtel has also said that the 5G services will be available at existing 4G rates. A new tariff for 5G will be announced later.

Vaishnaw had earlier announced that high-speed 5G services will be available in eight cities of Odisha as part of the first phase roll-out of the next-generation telecom network in the country by March next year.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the service at four places in the country, including the SLS Memorial Residential School at Pahadpur, the native village of President Droupadi Murmu in the Mayurbhanj district, on October 1.

The service is already available in selected cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Delhi, and Mumbai.