'Reliance Jio to bring 5G to every Indian by Dec 2023'

NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio is on the path to increase the Jio 5G footprint to cover every town, taluka and tehsil across the country by December this year, Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, said at a post-Budget event on Tuesday.

At a webinar coordinated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ambani said that the 5G technology will have a profound impact on India's economy and will make our cities smarter, society safer, and utilities more stable.

"There is no other technology that has given us various growth sectors like 5G has. As a rapidly growing emerging economy, India's uniquely positioned to take lead in the use of 5G technology for the betterment of society and livelihood of over 140 Crore Indians."

"5G will make our cities smarter, society safer, utilities more stable and emergency services more responsive and industry more efficient," he said.

He talked about various use cases of the technology including in healthcare, education, agriculture, smart cities and infrastructure.

"The deployment of 5G in the healthcare industry can significantly improve the reach and quality of health care for patients all across the country", Ambani said. He added that 5G devices would enable faster speed of diagnosis and remote consultations.

According to Ambani, autonomous farming, where drones or robots perform tasks such as planting, spraying and harvesting crops can also be enabled by 5G technology. This can increase efficiency and dramatically reduce labour costs. "This can increase efficiency and dramatically reduce labour costs," he said.

Ambani further added that 5G technology will also allow students and teachers to collaborate in real time.

"5G networks can enable students and teachers to collaborate in real-time and in a variety of ways, such as through virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences. This could allow for more interactive and immersive learning experiences that are more engaging and memorable," he said.

5G will also enable faster disaster management response including quicker aid supply and logistics delivery, he said.

"5G technology has the potential to improve work productivity by enabling faster data transfer, reduced latency, improved video conferencing and increased flexibility," Ambani added.