India's wait for 5G may finally get over in the year 2022 -- at least in some cities to be precise. As per Department of Telecom (DoT), 5G telecom services are set to be rolled out in selected cities in India next year. Telecom service providers Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea have set up 5G trials sites in some cities across the country. "These Metros and big cities would be the first places for the launch of 5G services in the country next year," as per DoT.
In September 2021, DoT sent a reference to the industry regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), seeking recommendations for the auction of spectrum identified for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT)/ 5G with regard to a price, band plan, block size, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in 526-698 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3670 MHz and 24.25-28.5GHz bands for IMT/5G.
For those unaware, 5G mainly works in 3 bands, low, mid, and high-frequency spectrum. In the low band spectrum, the speed is limited to 100 Mbps. The mid-band spectrum, on the other hand, offers higher speeds compared to the low band but has limitations in terms of coverage area and penetration of signals. Internet speed in the high-band spectrum goes up to 20 Gbps. The highest internet speed in 4G has been recorded at 1Gbps.
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