5G will be the foundation of Digital India mission: Ericsson – Business Today

In 1903, Swedish telecom company Ericsson received its first order for a manual switch from the Indian government. Since then, we have been supporting India

in its journey across 2G, then 3G and 4G. Now we continue to work with all service providers in India to help them prepare for a seamless introduction of 5G based on our global experience but also because of our innovative and competitive 5G portfolio, Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania and India said at the Indian Mobile Congress on Wednesday.

5G has the potential to accelerate the digital transformation of virtually any sector of an industry or society and it will be the main enabler of digital and financial inclusion in the country. It is the foundation on which countrys digital India mission will be realised, Mirtillo added.

He said that mobile connectivity is one of the biggest drivers of growth even in one of the remote corners of India. We cannot underestimate the importance of connectivity towards social and economic development of the country. The past 6-8 years have been about massive data usage and the shit in consumer behavior. And the next decade will be about connecting everything that can be connected. 5G will serve as the main platform that will drive this connectivity. It will help in improving the coverage and hence bridging the digital divide, he said.

In its latest Ericsson Mobility Report, the company reported an almost 300-fold increase in mobile data traffic since 2011. According to the report, there was a net addition of 98 million 5G subscriptions globally in Q3 2021, compared to 48 million new 4G subscriptions. Mirtillo said that India is an extremely important country for Ericsson. India today is already the third-largest market for 5G smartphone sales although the service is yet to begin. And in the first year, there will be 40 million 5G subscribers in the country. India can benefit from the fast-maturing technology. The enabler, of course, would be the spectrum. Obviously, it has to be an affordable spectrum, he said.

5G will represent around 39 per cent of mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2027, estimated at about 500 million subscriptions, Ericsson said in its report. The number of smartphone subscriptions is expected to be 810 million at the end of 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7 percent, reaching over 1.2 billion by 2027, it said.

Mirtillo added that by the end of this year, 25 per cent of the world population will be covered by 5G and for India, 5G will not only increase the contribution of digital congregation sectors to Indias GDP but also act as an economic multiplier for the country.

Also Read: Vivo Y55s 5G with 6000mAh battery launched, price set at roughly Rs 20,000

Also Read: Redmi Note 11 4G launch in India soon, here is what we know so far

See original here:

5G will be the foundation of Digital India mission: Ericsson - Business Today