India now has the second-biggest 5G network in the world on the back of the fastest 5G rollout, with 300,000 sites established in 10 months, the government said. In a Koo pos telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, “The world’s fastest 5G rollout continues, over 3 lakh sites installed in 714 districts. World’s second-biggest 5G ecosystem." Telecommunications services providers Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have jointly set up the sites, which were at 2.8 lacks in July, based on the information discussed with Parliament. 

The Department of Telecom is monitoring the rollout of 5G networks in terms of districts, the department told the Parliament last month, noting that 5G networks have been rolled out in 717 districts distributed across the country as of 7 July.  In order to speed up the 5G networks rollout in the country, the government has taken several initiatives, said Minister of State Devusinh Chauhan in a statement in Rajya Sabha last month. He said that the procedure for SACFA clearance for low Power Base Transceiver Station (BTS)/ small cells i.e., Micro, Pico and Femto cells on existing street furniture/infrastructure, has been simplified. 

The procedure for application and time-bound permission for usage of street furniture for installation of small cells and telegraph lines has been specified in the Indian Telegraph Right of Way (Amendment) Rules, 2022. Further, the GatiShakti Sanchar portal has been launched to facilitate and expedite Right of Way permissions by providing a single interface between all stakeholders, including Central and State/UT Government(s), Local bodies, and Service Providers. He added that DoT has formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee for the adaption of sector-specific 5G use cases. DoT has sent communications to different ministries, including Ministries of Health, Sports, Agriculture, and Heavy Industries to utilize the advancement in 5G technology effectively. The use cases span various socioeconomic sectors, including education, agriculture, health, power, urban management, mining, logistics, resource management, tourism, sports, security, e-governance etc.