Modi added that the country should be ready to launch 6G service by the end of the decade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for collaborative efforts between government and industry for rapid rollout of 5G services as it will contribute $450 billion to the Indian economy in the next decade and a half.

"5G will bring positive change in governance, ease of living and ease of doing business. This will boost growth in every sector like agriculture, health, education, infrastructure and logistics. Over the next decade and half, 5G technology will contribute $450 billion through economic growth and job creation," Modi said.


He added that the country should be ready to launch 6G service by the end of the decade and a task force has been formed for its rollout. Modi was speaking at an event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

While the 2G era was symptomatic of policy paralysis and corruption, India has now moved rapidly from 3G to 4G and now 5G and 6G, Modi said. He highlighted the government's success in winning the trust of investors by effectively responding to challenges which resulted in increased foreign investment in the telecom sector.

He said that at present India is connecting every village in the country with optical fibre. He added that before 2014, not even 100 village panchayats in India were provided with optical fibre connectivity. "Today we have made broadband connectivity reach about 175,000 gram panchayats. Hundreds of government services are reaching the villages because of this," Modi said.

He also called upon TRAI to be ready to meet future challenges. "Today regulation is not limited to the boundaries of just one sector. Technology is inter-connecting different sectors. That's why today everyone is experiencing the need for collaborative regulation. For this it is necessary that all the regulators come together, develop common platforms and find solutions for better coordination", the prime minister said.

Earlier Modi unveiled 5G test beds that have been developed by eight institutions led by IIT Madras. Developed with a funding of Rs 224 crore the test beds will enable companies to test and validate their products, services and use cases. While the integrated test bed is situated in Chennai, there are four other test facilities in Kanpur, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Bhaskar Ramamurthi, former director of IIT Madras who is the key architect of the project, said the test bed is fully deployable system that is technology can be transferred to manufacturing too. He added that over 300 engineers had worked on developing the test beds and that the project has led to development of a human resource for 5G.

"Our scientists and engineers have developed a complete 4G stack which is ready for deployment by BSNL and the 5G stack is in an advanced stage of development and should be ready later this year," telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnav said. The minister added that last year's telecom reforms had simplified the industry structure and the next set of reforms could be unveiled in the next few weeks.