PM Modi to launch 5G services in India on October 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch 5G services at India Mobile Congress on October 1.

The fifth generation (5G) telecom services will be launched in October as the government on Monday successfully completed the spectrum auction mopping up over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in bids by four companies including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Adani Data Networks.

At a media briefing after the end of the bidding for 5G spectrum, Union Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said out of the total 72,098 MHz of spectrum on offer, 51,236 MHz or around 71 per cent has been sold in the auction.

A total of 40 rounds of bidding were conducted in the past seven days. The total value of the bid stands at Rs 1,50,173 crore.

Talking to ANI, Vaishnaw said the allocation of the spectrum to the successful bidders would be done by August 10 and the 5G services are likely to be launched in the country by October this year.

"Auction has been completed and in the next few days, till August 10, all formalities including approving and allocating the spectrum will be done," he had said.

"It seems we would be able to launch 5G in the country by October. The ongoing 5G spectrum auction indicates that the country's telecom industry has come a long way in 5G advancements," the minister added.

Vaishnaw said that better availability of spectrum will improve the quality of telecom services in the country.