The government expects to roll out indigenously developed 5G technology by August this year, according to Minister of State for Telecommunications Devusinh Chauhan.
He made the remarks while speaking at the World Summit of Information Society (WSIS) 2022, organized by the UN body ITU in Geneva on Wednesday.
Chauhan said the government is also launching a research and development fund for funding the development of telecom technology.
"India has developed an indigenous 4G stack wherein 4G Core and Radio Access Networks (are) designed and tested in India. It helps the operators to choose any vendor, reduces the cost, and enables easier expansions. Indigenous 5G stack is also expected to be rolled out by August 2022," he said in a statement issued on Thursday.
IT major TCS and state-owned telecom research firm CDoT are engaged in developing 5G technology indigenously which is likely to be deployed on the BSNL network.
The minister said India believes in the principle of Antyodaya, which means the development of people at the bottom of the pyramid, the marginalized people, living in far-flung areas and cut off from the mainstream.
"For the development of reliable ICT infrastructure, six hundred thousand villages are being connected through optical fiber cables. Through the use of satellite communication services and submarine cable networks, small and remote islands, and other inaccessible areas are being connected," Chauhan said.
On the sidelines of the event, the minister also held bilateral discussions with Japan's Vice Minister Yuji Sasaki for Policy Coordination where they discussed mutual cooperation in several areas, including 5G and security of the network, an official statement said.
Chauhan also held bilateral talks with Iran's Communications and Information Technology Minister Issa Zarepour.
