PM Modi Inaugurates 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’, Including 4 In Odisha, At IMC 2023

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday awarded 100 ‘5G Use Case Labs’ to educational institutions across the country, including four in Odisha.

All major tech institutes across different states, including Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University, and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar and National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Rourkela, have got a lab for developing applications using 5G services.

“The ‘100 5G labs initiative’, is an endeavour to realise the opportunities associated with 5G technology by encouraging development of 5G applications which cater, both to India’s unique needs as well as the global demands. The unique initiative will foster innovation across various socioeconomic sectors like education, agriculture, health, power, transportation etc, and propel the country into the forefront of usage of 5G technology,” according to a statement.

The initiative is also a pivotal step for building a 6G-ready academic and start-up ecosystem in the country. More importantly, the initiative is a step towards development of indigenous telecom technology which is critical for national security, it added.

Speaking at the 7th Edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2023, a three-day flagship technology event at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, PM Modi noted that the ‘future is no longer a decade or a century away, but due to advances in technology, the future is here and now.’

Reliance Jio also demonstrated India’s first satellite-based GigaFiber service called Jio SpaceFiber at the event.

Stating that the country exports telecom equipment to more than 70 nations, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that the next edition of the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly will be held in the national capital.